It was an honest mistake that was corrected and didn’t cost the taxpayers a penny.

That is how Mayor Frank Picozzi characterized a posting on social media reporting Warwick firefighters were paid twice for the Easter holiday. Easter is one of the paid holidays.

As Picozzi explained, the clerk who customarily handles the payroll was on vacation and the person filling in proceeded to issue the holiday pay. When the clerk returned, she also processed the Easter holiday pay, meaning firefighters received double pay.

Picozzi said the error was immediately detected and rather than deducting the pay from the firefighters, and with the union’s approval, the corrective action was to forego Memorial Day holiday pay. He said no action was taken against the clerks involved in the mix up as it was a mistake and the “city was made whole.”