Returned Check Policy

Payment must be made by cash/money order/cashier's check by mail or by visiting one of our four convenient locations. If payment is not received in full, the $35 returned check fee will be paid first with the remaining monies being applied to the account/bill.

• When a payment is received and processed by the Treasurer’s office, the check or ACH online check payment is submitted to the respective payee’s financial institution for payment.
• If the check is returned unpaid by the payee's financial institution, in most cases, the check is automatically presented again to the respective payee's financial institution a second time for payment.  The length of time the check is presented for payment a second time depends on the payee's financial institution, but is usually between 2-5 business days from the date of the first submission.
• If the check is returned unpaid by the payee's financial institution a second time, the Treasurer's office is notified and a Notice of Returned Check letter is generated and mailed to the owner of the account which was paid.  In addition, the account owner and possibly the writer of the check will be placed on a cash only basis for one year.
   

I received a Notice of Returned Check for a payment I made at Parks and Recreation, why is the Treasurer notifying me?

The Treasurer is the custodian of all public monies and receives deposits from other city departments, in which we process and send to the city's financial institution. We are notified as the depositor of the funds and therefore we are tasked with notifying the individual that made the payment.

What do I do if my financial institution made an error?

If a check is returned through no fault of your own, a letter is required to be submitted to the Returned Check Department from the respective financial institution to exonerate any additional fees which may be assessed, including but not limited to the $35 returned check charge and the rescinding of the cash only basis.

What do I do if my checkbook/purse/wallet was stolen and I had to close my checking account?

 If a check is returned for the abovementioned reason, a letter is required to be submitted to the Returned Check Department from the respective financial institution to exonerate any additional fees which may be assessed, including but not limited to the $35 returned check charge and the rescinding of the cash only basis.

What do I do if I suspect that my check is lost in the mail?

If you suspect that your check is lost in the mail and you decide to place a Stop Payment on the check through your financial institution, please be advised that a letter from your respective financial institution to exonerate any additional fees which may be assessed, including by not limited to the $35 returned check charge and the rescinding of the cash only basis may be required if the Treasurer's office later receives and processes the check payment. 

To insure that your payment is processed expediently in the future, we advise you to submit your payment with your bill and also notate what you are paying for, account/bill number applicable, and the department name. If you are using a banking service, we highly recommend you provide as much detail as possible on the memo line prior to submitting your payment.  These services only provide a check and often times there is no memo and we have to determine which tax/bill from a wide variety of options to apply this to.  Of course, we ask that you recognize that we have certain times of the year that we are processing more items than usual and this often delays payment processing.  Your patience and understanding is appreciated.  If you have given us sufficient time and your payment is about to become delinquent, prior to stopping your check and incurring unnecessary fees, please contact the Department that sent you the bill/notice.