If the Sheriff’s Department owes you money, you might have to ask for the refund instead of expecting it to be automatically mailed to you.
The County Board’s Law and Justice Committee voted unanimously last week to recommend the Sheriff’s Department no longer automatically refund amounts less than $5. Capt. David Shepherd had said the administrative costs often exceed the refund amount. The County Board will consider the recommendation.
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The issue arises most often in the civil process area.
“The fee is X plus 45 cents for each person served,” said Linda Troglia, civil process coordinator. “Somebody might send us $23.50, and we have to refund a nickel. It’s a big pain having to write checks and balance the checkbook if somebody is sitting on one of these little checks.”
Over the past year, the civil process division paid 47 refunds, 17 of which were less than $5, Troglia said. The fee is based on the postal area where a person is served. The farther from the county government center, the higher the fee.
There are precedents for not automatically issuing small refunds. The county recorder, treasurer and clerk do not automatically refund amounts less than $5.