Finance director flags income tax refund request from Sunbury resident for council decision

An appeal from a Sunbury resident identified in meeting materials as Mr. Moore, who said payroll withholding was taken in error, was presented to the Finance Committee on Sept. 17; staff said the matter will be decided by council or resolved administratively where allowed.

Devin, finance director, told the committee she received a letter from the resident and that a response from Rita (tax office staff) was included in members' packets. The resident seeks repayment for tax withheld by his employer for a year he says he did not owe because he did not live or work in Sunbury. Devin said refunds for prior years had been issued where applicable, but one year in question is beyond the tax office's statute of limitations. "Because he didn't truly owe the money, he's asking for it back," she said. "Rita's statute of limitations was already passed for 1 of the years, and that's the year that he's trying to collect."

Devin explained the finance director has the authority to instruct Rita on whether to process refunds for eligible years and that refunds are handled through the tax office's internal processes. "It would come from Rita. So I, as the finance director, have the authority to tell Rita yes or no on this appeal, and they'll take care of refunding the money to the resident," Devin said. She also said Rita would recoup any refunded amounts from the city’s internal accounting (deducted from Rita's account or reconciled internally) rather than creating a separate city payment.

Committee discussion confirmed the three-year statute of limitations applies to refund requests; Devin said the resident missed that window for one year by a small margin. Members discussed whether the finance committee could act that night and concluded the council would make the final decision if necessary. No motion or vote was recorded Sept. 17; Devin said she would coordinate with other staff (including Vic Whitney) and with council to resolve the appeal.

Next steps: finance staff will confirm statute application, coordinate with the tax office (Rita) on refund mechanics, and involve council if a decision beyond administrative authority is required.