Residents and others who visit Circuit Court, District Court, Friend of the Court or other Ionia County departments to pay fees and fines now have a convenient alternative to writing a check.

Residents and others who visit Circuit Court, District Court, Friend of the Court or other Ionia County departments to pay fees and fines now have a convenient alternative to writing a check. An ATM has been installed on the lower level of the Courthouse.

County Treasurer Judy Clark explained that the county clerk is the only office with a credit card reader, and so many of the payments are for small amounts — between $10 and $100 — that it isn't worth the cost of getting additional readers.

"So many times we're telling people they have to give us a check, or run to the closest ATM," Clark said, adding that fines and tickets must be paid in cash. "They had to run to the ATM, and then run back. Now, they only have to go down to the first level."

The fee per transaction at the ATM is $2.75, which, Clark said, she has been told by customers is less expensive than the closest ATM to the Courthouse.

"I've had people be happy there is one in (the Courthouse)," she said. "It's nice to run downstairs to the ATM to get cash out, and they don't have to leave the building."

Use of the ATM, which is not affiliated with a bank, costs the county nothing, "as long as we can justify the traffic for it," said Clark. The county does pay for the electricity and Internet connection, which is minimal.

Clark said the ATM was installed last month, and she has not received a report on usage yet.

"With the amount of traffic we get for Friend of the Court, our Courthouse and District Court, it's going to be interesting to see how many transactions we get," she said.

Follow Karen Bota on Twitter @KarenB_ISS.