Someone over at City Hall remembered his or her parent’s lesson that if something doesn’t belong to you, you should give it back.

That’s doing the right thing right.

And so it goes over at City Hall, where officials announced this week that they will refund about $950,000 to people who paid too much in parking fines. It was discovered recently by City Hall’s finance department that it was sitting on the extra cash, which accumulated in the form of overpayments by people who either paid their fines twice, or their spouses did.

As far we know, this is the first time City Hall has gone out of its way to give money back to parking scofflaws. Specifically, it was Eva Uren, acting revenue manager who works in City Hall’s treasury department, that noticed the discrepancy when doing a check of the city’s financial systems. She brought it to City Manager Lamont Ewell’s attention and collectively city staff chose to do the right thing. That is not coincidental since City Hall last month launched its new customer service initiative “We Do The Right Thing Right.”

It might sound corny but the action behind it has substance. Ask any of the 18,000 people who will get a check from City Hall in the next few months. Those who think they may be eligible for a refund are motorists who received a ticket in the last three years and might have paid a citation more than once, or erroneously paid a higher fine. Fill out a verification form online at www.smgov.net or call (800) 214-1526.

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If city officials really want to do the right thing, they’ll approve a proposal to build a children’s play area at Palisades Park. The idea, first suggested by parents who live near the north end of the park, was expected to be discussed Thursday night by the Santa Monica Parks and Recreation Commission.

The area being considered for a small scale play area could be anywhere north of Idaho Avenue to the city’s northern most border where the park ends.

It is remarkable that with dozens of parks in Santa Monica, most of which have children’s play areas, Palisades Park — the city oldest and arguably most scenic — doesn’t have a dedicated spot for kids. And considering the fact that it is one of only a few areas in the city more than a mile from a play area, a special place for kids is necessary in Palisades Park.

City officials have done preliminary research that indicates that the area being considered has experienced an increase in births over the last five years — another good reason.

Thousands of parents and caregivers deprive themselves of spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and inspiration every time they take their kids to a public space other than Palisades Park. Kids deserve the chance to frolic with a backdrop of a sunset and wave lapping the shores.

It’s a perfect location not only because that area of the park is less congested than the south end, but it also is free of vagrants for the most part. It may well be the most vagrant-free park, at least north of Wilshire Boulevard. What’s more, there is not one registered sexual offender who lives within a half mile of the north end of Palisades Park, which cannot be said for every other park in Santa Monica, according to the Department of Justice. What a concept it would be for parents to feel safe bringing their children to a playground in Santa Monica.

The Parks and Recreation Commission is expected to forward its recommendation to the City Council for final consideration. We urge people to support a children’s play area in Palisades Park. Let’s put our money to good use.