MOSES LAKE — Several area residents have been charged a $20 tab fee that was put into place in Moses Lake, despite not living in city limits.

In October the city began collecting funds from the newly instituted $20 tab fee, with the funds to be used for street maintenance/repair projects. Charlene Winzler, who is the office manager at Winzler Vehicle Licensing on West Broadway Avenue, told the council their computer system has the classification of some citizens wrong and some people who do not live in city limits have been charged the $20 tab fee.

“So I have called around to the city trying to find out who is responsible for getting that fixed. And I am not quite exactly sure of the process so I want to be clear on it because I am being told that these people have to pay first, then they can go down to where the water bill is paid, apply for a refund and get their address, at that time, removed through the Department of Revenue, or you guys are going to do something to get their address removed,” Winzler told the council Tuesday night.

Winzler said she was told the people cannot have their address fixed in the system first, before they pay the tab fee.

“I need to understand that process, because I do have some people that simply are not going to buy their tabs and are not buying their tabs.”

City manager John Williams explained when the city’s Transportation Benefit District was put into place the state Department of Revenue used its own system, not the city’s system, to determine what houses are in city limits and provided that information to the state Department of Licensing. He said individuals who pay the fee despite living outside of city limits can submit a form to the city, which is then sent to the state, who will then correct the person’s classification.

“Just as a little side note, when they pay the $20 they remit to the city, the state takes their fee out of it, we then have to remit the entire $20 to the individual. And so the state still gains by it,” Williams remarked.

Finance director Cindy Jensen said in her discussions with the state, officials said it could take up to six months for them to correct the problem in their system. Williams noted the council previously agreed to repeal the tab fee if a 0.20 percent sales tax proposition passed in the general election. The proposition is currently passing, but election results won't be certified by the state until later in the month.

He explained the soonest the sales tax could go into effect, and the tab fee be repealed, is in April.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.