Tucson City Court staffers knew something was wrong when the phone lines lit up with scores of people voicing the same complaint.
Callers who had already paid their parking tickets were demanding to know why they were being billed again.
Hundreds of people recently received warning letters about parking fines they no longer owed - the result of a glitch, a court official said Thursday.
The letters, printed on bright-pink paper, say the city may take collection action if the tickets aren't settled.
"The calls were coming in like crazy," Christopher Hale, deputy court administrator, said of the response to the mix-up.
"This is simply a mistake," he said. "We're not trying to get any more money than we should be getting."
A court computer churned out the notices to people who, in some cases, paid up months ago.
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Hale said the problem arose after changes were made to the court's "courtesy letter" computer program.
That program, which pumps out the pink warnings, was put in place a few years back. It's intended to let vehicle owners know about outstanding parking citations so they're not caught unaware if others drive their vehicles and get tickets but don't tell them.
The snafu resulted in warning letters going out to 900 people who had either paid their tickets or had scheduled hearings to challenge them, Hale said.
He couldn't say for sure how far the problem dates back, but one of the wayward warnings reviewed by the Arizona Daily Star was connected to a parking ticket issued in August and paid in September.
The court staff is in the process of identifying everyone affected and will mail apology letters in the next few days.
People who received the warnings in error should watch their mail for the follow-up correspondence, Hale said.
Those with questions can call the court at 791-4216.
Contact reporter Carol Ann Alaimo at 573-4138 or at calaimo@azstarnet.com
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