An administrative error by the City of San Diego resulted in approximately 87,700 taxpayers receiving incorrect charges for garbage collection services included in their property tax bills.

According to reporting by Voice of San Diego, the issue began when an employee transferred information from city records into a file that was later sent to the county tax collector’s office.

The incorrect data resulted in approximately 50.2% of affected taxpayers being overcharged, while 49.8% were charged less than they were supposed to pay.

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The city is working with the county to correct the issue. Property owners who were overcharged will receive a new tax bill reflecting the appropriate adjustment.

For those who paid less than they owed, the process will be more complicated, as the city cannot simply modify the original tax bill. Officials are expected to issue supplemental bills to collect the outstanding amounts, a process that could take time and generate additional costs for the city.

The error comes after the new garbage collection fee had already raised questions among residents over the way the charge is collected through property tax bills.

City officials said they are working with the county tax collector’s office to correct the charges and prevent a similar error from happening again.