Do any of your counties have a method of collecting county fines and other payments through debit cards, credit cards, or ACH methods?

We're reviewing such a method from a particular vendor, but I'm concerned about certain parts of the process which would, if an improper charge had been made and credited to the county's bank account, allow for immediate reversal and refund of that charge, thus taking the money back out of the county's account.

It seems to me that once the money is in the account, it would take commissioners court and auditor approval to get it back out.

Any thoughts on that issue or concerns/experiences to share on this technology in general?

Any thoughts?

I suppose if there was some way for the bank/clearinghouse to create a separate account in which funds are held for a predetermined period of time to allow for fraud recovery, then automatically transferred to the county, it might allow for the arrangement you describe. Otherwise, I think you're right. Once the funds are deposited in the county treasury, the Local Government Code considers them to be "county funds" that may not lawfully be disbursed without approval of the claim by the auditor and the commissioners court. The bank should know it can't just contract around the law. Courts look down on that kind of thing, using ugly words like "illegality" and "void."