Oakland officials will refund $2.3 million for overpaid parking tickets from 2008, 2009 and 2010 after a city audit discovered the overpayments last year.
The city’s Parking Ticket Management Performance audit from December 2012 found that there was about $316,000 in overpaid parking tickets in just the 2010-11 fiscal year.
The report found that the city was failing to notify and reimburse citizens when they overpay for parking violations. Instead citizens have had to request a refund on their own in the past few years.
After a November request from the city administrator to the City Council, $2.3 million was set aside for the city to pay for three years of parking refunds as a measure to improve the ticket management system.
The money comes from city funds and will pay back ticketed residents before the three-year limit for unclaimed funds can be used by city agencies—a step which city auditor Courtney Ruby said identifies “the magnitude of the problem.”
Notifications about overpayments will be made between Jan. 9 and March 9 and citizens will have 60 days to respond. Refunds can be requested using this form, downloadable here: www2.oaklandnet.com/w/OAK042515.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
