Drivers in Victoria’s Surf Coast Shire are set to receive refunds after the council discovered it had been overcharging some motorists for parking fines for more than two decades.
Records of the incorrectly issued fines date back to 2003, with affected motorists able to recover between $30 and $60 they were overcharged, according to the Geelong Advertiser.
The Surf Coast Shire Council, which covers areas including Torquay south of Geelong, said the error occurred because it had been charging the higher rate for some parking offences without formally approving it.
Parking fines in Victoria are calculated using penalty units rather than a fixed dollar amount. Half a penalty unit is currently worth about $100.
For 11 common “green sign” parking offences, including overstaying a time limit, failing to pay for parking and stopping in a bicycle parking area, councils can charge 0.5 penalty units.
However, councils must formally approve the higher rate, as without that approval, the fine defaults to 0.2 penalty units.
Surf Coast Shire said it could not find evidence that the required council resolution had ever been made.
Council CEO Robyn Seymour apologised to affected motorists.
“As soon as we were made aware of this potential issue, we investigated thoroughly and could not find evidence in our records that the necessary council resolution had ever been made,” Seymour said, according to the Geelong Advertiser.
“We’re taking accountability for the situation and putting a process in place to rectify it. We’re committed to making sure affected motorists are refunded appropriately for the overcharged amount of their fine.”
The refund scheme will launch on October 1 and remain available for 12 months.
The Surf Coast is one of several Victorian councils to have uncovered similar parking fine errors.
Merri-bek City Council revealed last year that it had overcharged motorists for 12 years, affecting about 248,000 fines and potentially resulting in millions of dollars in refunds.
Baw Baw Shire Council is also accepting refund applications after discovering an administrative error that led to motorists being overcharged during two periods spanning almost 25 years.
Mansfield Shire Council is investigating a separate long-running administrative error that may have resulted in hundreds of motorists being overcharged.
Image: Victoria Government
