City blames banking error for duplicate withdrawals
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The City of Brandon is apologizing after a banking error caused duplicate tax withdrawals to be taken from almost 1,300 bank accounts this week.
In a press release on Tuesday, the city said bank accounts for 1,274 properties enrolled in the Tax Installment Plan (TIP) — which allows people to make monthly property tax payments — had duplicate withdrawals.
TIP payments range anywhere from $13 to $29,200, and the erroneous withdrawals were from multiple property types, spokesperson Merrilea Metcalf said in an email.
The withdrawals were made on Monday, before customers notified the city on Tuesday, Metcalf said.
Refunds will be issued between today and Friday, the city said.
“The city is actively working with our banking provider to ensure that the duplicate transactions (are) reversed as quickly as possible,” the release said.
Acting mayor Glen Parker said the bank rectifying the situation and paying any costs incurred by the error is “really all we can ask of them.”
“There was a banking error and those things happen,” Parker (Ward 9) said in an interview on Tuesday.
A little over 20 per cent of people who use the TIP system were affected, he said.
“Fortunately, it wasn’t everybody, but messy enough just the same.”
Parker said he’s “pretty sure” the city won’t be financially affected by the error.
The city sending out a press release the day it found out, he added, was a good move to make sure people are aware, instead of them finding out a few weeks from now on a bank statement.
“The city will always want to be open and up front on any types of things like this,” he said.
The release said property owners will be contacted directly about the refund of the duplicate payment and applicable fees.
“We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to address this situation, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” the city said.
» alambert@brandonsun.com