07/31/2026
TIL - The City of Asbury Park's SDL Portal for online payments is not able to cancel / reverse charges to credit cards.
Doesn't matter if the error was theirs or yours.
Instead you must:
1) Notify the city of the payment error
2) Sign a Purchase Order IN PERSON at the Finance Department during business hours
3) Wait until the next City Council Meeting when they can review and approve the "purchase order"
4) Wait for them to process the payment, and either mail you the check ...or pick it up in person
This is true for payments of any amount, be it $10 or $4,000
If you were charged $10 by the City in error, could YOU afford to take the time off work to go in and sign for what should be a simple refund?
Oh, and did we mention that City Offices generally close for lunch? βwhich they should do, or anyway everyone should have an uninterrupted lunch break, but if that's the only time you can make it in without taking time off work, oh well.
To be super clear, this is not an accusation against Asbury Park. It is a call out that they need to examine the systems they're paying for.
GOVERNMENT APPROVED TECH PLATFORMS ARE NOT CHEAP
They shouldn't be wasting City Council and the Finance Department's time.
