Worthless Check Policy

I. Purpose

To define the permission to accept checks after a customer has submitted a worthless check

II. Definitions and References

City shall mean all departments and divisions governed by the City of Tampa

Department shall mean the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department

Director means the Parks and Recreation Department Director or designee

III. Background

The department follows the Banking and Debt Management Section policy for Worthless Check Policy and Procedures. In addition, the Department has established a policy defining the acceptance of checks once a customer has made a payment with a worthless check. The Department places a restriction prohibiting a customer from using a check as a form of payment after submitting a worthless check. The Department may lift this restriction at the manager’s request and Director’s approval.

IV. Policy

Any time that a customer submits a worthless check, the household account in Rectrac will be restricted from performing any new transactions until the outstanding balance for the worthless check and applicable service fees have been paid.

The Department will accept check payments from customers that have submitted a worthless check with the following guidelines:

1. First Occurrence – The household will be able to engage in transactions in a normal manner, with no pay type restrictions
2. Second Occurrence – The household will be restricted from using a check as payment for a period of one (1) year
3. Third Occurrence – The household will be restricted indefinitely from using a check as payment

The Department Director has the right to waive these restrictions at her discretion.