If you want to pay your city of Rincon bill through your phone, the city soon just may have an app for that.

Interim city manager Wanda Simmons led a presentation at Monday night’s council meeting from Next Wave Designs, which has done mobile apps for Pooler Recreation Department and for the Rincon Recreation Department.

“People were asking for a way to pay their utility bills on their phones,” Simmons said. “That’s what generated the conversation. Everyone uses their phone so much. I pay a lot of bills on my phone now.”

The city would control the content on the app, which also can be used to send out push notifications to its subscribers. The app, if the city council elects to push forward, could be downloaded free. The push notifications, which appear as text messages, also can be received on tablets and iPads. The city would get unlimited push notifications through the app.

“We can send push notifications for road work or for a light being out,” Simmons said. “We can let them know what’s going on."

The city also would be able to tell how many times the app has downloaded and what people are searching for on it. City staff also would have 24/7 access to the app to make changes to the content. The city also could offset the cost of the app by signing up sponsors and use the information from the number of downloads to show sponsors how often the app is viewed.
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Aside from paying bills online, the company also said it could develop an app for Lost Plantation Golf Course that allows golfers to set tee times.

The app would cost $1,250 to build and would cost $75 a month after that for the city.

“It’s very interesting,” said council member Ann Daniel. “It’s a great idea.”