Members at six Nottinghamshire councils were late in paying taxes to their own authorities.
Records show Gedling, Ashfield, Mansfield, Bassetlaw, Nottingham City and Broxtowe councils all had to send out letters to at least one councillor each to get them to pay in the 2015 to 2016 tax year.
Two councillors at Ashfield District Council, Jason Zadrozny and Tom Hollis, were so late they had to be threatened with a court hearing before paying up.
The authority issued them with a summons to court for failing to each pay £106.82 in council tax, but both paid before the case reached court.
Speaking to Notts TV News, Cllr Hollis said: “The outstanding money related to a property Jason and I let out.
“The issue was between the tenant and us as to who should be paying the council tax.
“The tenant moved out and there was a period of time before the next tenants arrived, which meant we both owed the outstanding money, which wasn’t made entirely clear.
“I believe the council now has a more robust system in place but we should have noticed it quicker and it’s a bit embarrassing, but it has all been sorted.”
Both councillors are members of the Ashfield Independents Group at Ashfield District Council.
Elsewhere, Nottingham City Council had to send out three reminders, with all related bills now paid.
And Gedling Borough issued three, plus a court summons to a councillor who owed £951.93, but paid up before court.
Unlike Ashfield, Gedling declined to release the name of the councillor who almost faced legal action.
The details were revealed after a Freedom of Information Act request to every local authority in England by Private Eye magazine.
The figures also show Broxtowe Borough Council sent out four reminders before payment was made, Mansfield District Council had to issue one, and Bassetlaw District Council sent out two.
A spokesman for Ashfield District Council said: “The payment of council tax is the sole responsibility of the individual concerned.
“As in any case of unpaid council tax, Ashfield District Council follow the regular procedure to retrieve this payment.
“The Council Tax Regulations state that if the monthly payments are not made on time then the council can issue a reminder notice for the missed payment. If the payment is still not made within a further 14 days, then the instalment scheme will be cancelled and a final notice will be issued for the whole council tax amount.
“The full council tax amount for the whole year must then be paid within 14 days, otherwise a court summons would be issued.
“The outstanding council tax in this case has now been paid and we therefore have no further interest in the matter.”