Kane County Coroner's Office Now Accepts Electronic Payments

Written by Rick Nagel (Editor)

It has been one month since the Kane County Coroner's Office started accepting online payments on its office website. As a result, Kane County Coroner Rob Russell says that this small change makes the Coroner's Office more efficient, while providing a convenient service to the public.

It is hard to imagine a governmental office that does not take credit cards for payment. But up until July of this year, that was exactly the case with the Kane County Coroner's Office. People and funeral homes seeking official reports or cremation permits had to pay for those items by sending the Coroner's Office a paper check.

So Coroner Rob Russell implemented the E-Pay electronic payment system which allows the public to request and purchase copies of autopsy reports, coroner investigative reports, FOIA documents, and cremation permits online.

"All of the requests and funds are handled digitally, so this frees up staff to focus on their jobs," Russell said. Additionally, constituents can make a request and a payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, when it is convenient for them.

E-Pay electronic payment services are offered to governmental agencies through the Illinois Treasurer's Office free of charge and there are no agency usage subscription fees. Instead, a small convenience fee is added to each online payment and is paid directly to E-Pay, which is standard practice for online payment services.

The Kane County Clerk's Office and the Treasurer's Office already use online payment services which allow the public to order documents such as birth or death certificates, or even pay their property taxes electronically.