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| Photo by ERIP |
DATELINE:
Norfolk, VA., June 6, 2016
Some
city staff must have been sick on vacation or laid off or just simply
refused to work at City Hall from fear and depression. Anyone
attempting to pay bills at City Hall today were confronted with a
vertiginous line of people, standing, cussing, texting and talking.
Shameful?
Disgusting? Outrageous Pick your adjective.
No
one seemed to mind, though. Some grumbled, but they weren’t
outraged. Many were surprised, but they weren’t ready to terrorize
the peaceful corridors of City Hall. Yet. Many seemed fatalistic and
stoic about the wait, as if it were expected. What do we expect?
If
we don’t expect better, we will never get it. If
we don’t rail against inefficient or just plain sloppy government,
don’t blame sloppy government; blame yourself, blame your capacity
for complacency and blame your voting record.
I
understand the City Treasurer, Mr Burfoot, is preoccupied with life
and legal issues, but that doesn’t excuse the line, the wait and
the inconvenience. Nor
would I expect Mr Poston, Norfolk’s Commissioner of the Revenue, to
respond in kind, but he could just respond with a gratuitous gesture.
Elected
officials should make it easier to pay bills, not more difficult and
more expensive.
The
City Treasurer says the department will “strive for excellence”
and to “provide an efficient and professional approach” to
service, to us, the citizens.
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| Photo by ERIP |
No
need to embellish, Mr Burfoot. Save it for the courtroom.
The
Treasurer will take cash, check, money order or certified funds,
according to its website.
To
pay cash, you must go to City Hall – and wait in line.
To
pay by check, you must pay for a stamp or go to City Hall – and
wait in line.
To
pay by money order or certified funds, you must pay the fees
associated with getting a money order or certified funds, pay for a
stamp or go to City Hall – and wait in line.
Or
you could pay by credit card. But you will pay a service fee of 2.3
percent, though the Treasurer’s office doesn’t receive that fee.
How’s that for service?
Want
a receipt? Insert a self-addressed envelope with a stamp and the
Treasurer’s office will be so kind as to send it to you. No
self-addressed envelope with a stamp, no receipt.
PayPal?
Just eChecks.
Bitcoin?
Not on your life.
Debit
card? Sure. But what’s the fee?
One
more item.
According to the Treasurer’s
website, “A
convenience fee WILL apply to all internet and phone payments. The
Treasurer’s Office does not receive any portion of this fee.”
But
who does then?
But
I forgot to mention parking.
If
you have a handicap sticker on your windshield, you can park in front
of City Hall. But you may have to fight for a spot, since everyone
who is handicapped is trying to pay their personal property taxes.
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| Photo by ERIP |
They
are reserved for the City Treasurer, the Commissioner of Revenue and
the Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue. Can’t they park elsewhere
so the blind, the elderly and the handicapped can access City Hall?
Better
yet, they could lead by example and ride their bike to work, as
Norfolk boasts that it’s a bike friendly town. Even better, ride
The Tide and set an example of how OUR elected officials put
OUR money where their mouth is.
To park, the
first hour costs $1.50. If you’re lucky, the parking attendant will
let you slide if you’re only gone ten minutes.
But
don’t get caught in line or you may end up having to pay for
parking to pay your bill to pay the Treasurer to pay for a pet project of the mayor or the city manager.
And
don’t lose your ticket while you’re waiting in line to pay your
bill or it will cost you $13.00.
I’m
surprised no one on city staff hasn’t thought of designating “City
Taxes Day” as a special event and charging citizens $3.00 an hour
to park.
Norfolk
– The Force Asleep.