Website Policy Draft
Status: Draft for official review
Prepared: August 26, 2026
Proposed effective date: Upon approval and publication

This policy applies to online payments made to the Village of Aurora, New York (the “Village”) for property taxes, water or sewer charges, permits, licenses, applications, and other Village fees. These payments are government obligations or charges, not retail purchases. Refunds, credits, and cancellations are available only when authorized by law, Village procedure, the applicable program, and the facts of the transaction.

Review Before You Submit

Before authorizing a payment, verify:

The correct parcel, water or sewer account, application, permit, license, or other Village account;

The payer name, service or property address, and contact information;

The amount due, payment amount, and applicable deadline;

The selected bank account or payment card; and

Any service or convenience fee shown before final authorization.

You are responsible for information entered during the transaction. An incorrect account or parcel number may cause delay, misapplication, interest, penalties, service consequences, or difficulty obtaining a refund. A payment mistakenly made to another property or account does not automatically qualify for an administrative refund.

Cancellation of a Submitted Payment

An online payment is generally transmitted for processing as soon as you select the final payment or authorization button. The Village cannot guarantee that a submitted transaction can be stopped or canceled. If you believe you made an error, contact the Village Clerk immediately and provide the transaction details. Do not submit a second payment unless directed to do so or you are certain the first transaction failed.

A pending transaction, email receipt, or confirmation number does not mean the payment has finally settled or posted to the correct account. A canceled, reversed, returned, disputed, or rejected payment does not eliminate the underlying obligation or stop applicable interest, penalties, collection, or service procedures.

General Refund Standard

The Village will review a refund or credit request when a payment appears to have been duplicated, overpaid, applied to the wrong Village account, charged in error, or made for a fee or service that may lawfully be refunded. Approval is not automatic. The Village may verify identity, account ownership, settlement, posting, legal authority, and whether money is owed on the same or another related account before issuing a refund or credit.

Where authorized, the Village may correct the posting, apply a credit, offset another amount due, return funds to the original payment method, or issue payment through the Village’s normal claims and audit process. The appropriate remedy depends on the payment type, applicable law, available records, and Village authority.

Property-Tax Payments

Property-tax refunds and credits are governed by New York law and official tax records. A taxpayer’s disagreement with an assessment, tax amount, penalty, or property classification is not resolved through an ordinary online refund request. Corrections and refunds may require the procedures, documentation, time limits, investigation, and approval established by the New York Real Property Tax Law, including applicable correction-of-error procedures.

The Village cannot promise a refund merely because a user selected the wrong property, paid from the wrong account, paid after a deadline, later disputes the assessment, or intended to use another payment method. Contact the Village Clerk promptly for direction. Online payment issues do not extend a tax deadline or waive interest or penalties unless law expressly provides otherwise.

Water and Sewer Payments

After verification, an overpayment or duplicate water or sewer payment may be corrected, credited to the utility account, applied to another amount due where permitted, or refunded when authorized. A billing or meter dispute is reviewed under the Village’s utility records, rates, rules, and procedures; it is not automatically a payment-processor refund. Service obligations, late charges, and enforcement procedures remain in effect unless the Village determines that an adjustment is warranted.

Permit, License, Application, and Other Fees

A permit, license, application, inspection, records, recreation, or other fee is refundable only when authorized by applicable law, local rule, adopted fee schedule, contract, program requirement, or Village determination. If review, inspection, processing, reservation, or another service has begun or been completed, a refund may be denied, reduced, or limited to the unearned portion when legally permitted. Denial, withdrawal, expiration, or abandonment of an application does not by itself create a right to a refund.

Service and Convenience Fees

A card, bank, portal, service, or convenience fee may be charged separately by the payment processor or as part of the authorized payment service. Unless the fee was charged in error or applicable law or the processor agreement requires otherwise, such fees are generally nonrefundable even if the underlying Village payment is later canceled, credited, or refunded. The fee shown at checkout should be reviewed before authorization.

How to Request a Review

Contact the Village Clerk as soon as possible. Include:

-Your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;

-The payment date, amount, payment type, and transaction or confirmation number;

-The parcel, utility account, permit, application, license, or bill number involved;

-A clear explanation of the error or reason for the request; and

-Any receipt, statement, canceled-payment notice, or other supporting documentation.

For security, do not send a full payment card number, card security code, online-banking password, or full bank-account number by email. The Village or payment processor may request additional information through a secure method to verify the transaction and the requester’s authority.

Review and Processing Time

Review time varies. The Village may need to confirm that funds settled, research account records, consult the payment processor or another government office, obtain documentation, complete an audit or claims process, or secure board or other statutory approval. The Village does not guarantee a fixed refund date. If approved, the method and timing of payment may depend on the original payment method, processor rules, and Village financial procedures.

Chargebacks and Returned Payments

Contact the Village Clerk before disputing a transaction with your bank or card issuer so the Village can review whether the payment was correctly applied. A chargeback, stop-payment order, ACH return, reversal, or other payment dispute does not determine the validity of the underlying tax, utility charge, permit fee, or other obligation. Amounts due, plus any lawful returned-payment charge, interest, or penalty, may remain payable.

Policy Changes and Controlling Law

The Village may revise this policy when payment services, fees, procedures, or laws change. If this policy conflicts with a statute, regulation, court order, local law, adopted fee schedule, tax warrant, utility rule, contract, or other controlling authority, the controlling authority governs. Nothing in this policy expands the Village’s legal authority to issue a refund or waives any governmental right, defense, or requirement.

Contact Us

Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy may be directed to:

Village Clerk
Village of Aurora
456 Main Street
Aurora, New York 13026
Phone: (315) 364-7293
Email:webmaster@villageofaurorany.gov