City scrambles to fix W-2s

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 3, 2003

Tax season is here &045;&045; is your W-2 correct?

If you’re a Selma city employee, the answer might be &uot;no.&uot;

According to Mayor James Perkins Jr., 234 city employees received tax forms without life insurance benefit, clothing and vehicle allowance information. According to the Selma-Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Selma employs 450 people.

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The error will only affect those employees who have already filed their taxes, Perkins added. Affected city employees can receive corrected W-2’s in the finance department at City Hall by appointment over the next few days, provided they have proof they’ve already filed their taxes.

The corrections will cost the city money, but negotiations were already in the works with local tax preparers, Perkins said. City employees who have already filed an income tax return this year can use the city’s contracted service.

Employees can also use a private tax preparer to file the amended return at the city’s negotiated cost. Perkins said the correction process would start immediately and hoped the problem could be solved before April 15.

One City Council member, though, said Selma could face problems over incorrect W-2’s in the future.

To correct future problems, Franklin suggested contracting the city’s payroll to the firm Automatic Data Processing.

At the Feb. 24 council meeting, Scott Murphree, ADP major accounts district manager, delivered a presentation on outsourcing payroll. The council has not yet made a decision on the issue.