Important notice regarding Ramsey County electronic payment system
An issue with the Ramsey County electronic payment system was identified on Oct. 16. The issue caused some customers who made an online payment between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2 to be charged a second payment on Oct. 13 in the same amount as their original payment.
Situation update as of Oct. 19
All funds have been returned
Ramsey County has received confirmation all funds have been returned to impacted residents and businesses.
- On Monday, Oct. 16, 99 percent of funds were returned to impacted residents and businesses the same day the issue was discovered in the total amount of $3,711,843.78.
- On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the remaining 1 percent of funds were returned to impacted residents and businesses in the total amount of $35,339.44.
- The total amount of funds returned to impacted residents and businesses is $3,747,183.22.
All residents and businesses have been contacted
- Ramsey County has directly communicated to each impacted resident and business.
- Impacted residents and businesses were encouraged to provide feedback on impacts of the second withdrawal by contacting the county by phone or filling out an electronic form.
- Impacted residents or businesses wishing to share feedback or who may be experiencing an immediate need due to the second withdrawal are encouraged to contact 651-266-8500.
Ongoing investigation of the issue
It appears this was an isolated incident impacting residents and businesses who made payments between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2 through the electronic payment system via ACH (Automated Clearing House). Payments by check, credit or debit card were not impacted.
This is a new electronic payment system for the county. It was implemented approximately a year and a half ago. There have been no issues regarding electronic payments until this incident. The county is continuing to work with the vendor, CORE, to understand the full details of the incident and will provide updates as they are available.
Next steps
The immediate priority of the county was addressing the return of funds to impacted residents and businesses as swiftly as possible. With this resolved, the county’s focus will shift to assessing and addressing broader impacts. The county is taking this very seriously and cares deeply about the impacts on residents and businesses. This broader analysis will take some time. We will continue to communicate with impacted residents and businesses to provide updates as we work through this process with the vendor.
Original notice posted Oct. 17
- 678 businesses/residents were impacted.
- The total amount of the second withdrawal was $3.75M.
- Ramsey County is in possession of the detailed file with names, dollar amounts and email addresses.
- Ramsey County has received confirmation that the file had been reversed and refunds should be issued within two business days.
The county is committed to continuing work with the electronic payment vendor, CORE, to address the error as quickly as possible to ensure all impacted customers are fully refunded and any additional impacts from the second withdrawal are understood.
All 678 impacted residents and businesses will receive an email update from Ramsey County on Oct. 17 to alert them of this issue and the work to resolve it. Individuals can also call 651-266-8500 to talk with someone from Ramsey County if they have questions in the meantime.
Ramsey County sincerely apologizes for the impacts on residents and businesses will continue to work diligently to see it is fully addressed as promptly as possible.