There are 4,509 deadbeats in Arlington County

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Arlington County was kind enough to send me a payment reminder for my property taxes. They also sent a reminder to 4,508 other people and included all of us in the To: field. Way to go Arlington County!

EDIT: This isn't done yet! Let's reproduce the email...

Dear Sir/Madam

Just a kind remainder that you have personal property tax bills due on 10/6/2008.

You can make these payments by mail or in person.
As an added benefit, you can choose the ease and convenience of paying your bill electronically. Simply logon to Payment Portal.You can not use this system to pay Moving Violations nor Boot and Tow Fees.For payment information regarding Moving Violations, please call 703-228-4485.For prepayable traffic fine information, please call 703-228-4599.For payment information regarding Boot and Tow Fees, please call 703-228-4000 for payment instructions.If you are paying a delinquent utilities bill, upon completion of making your payment, you must call the Utilities Customer Service office at 703-228-6570 during normal business hours.You will need to provide your payment confirmation number to ensure your water service is not discontinued.If your vehicle does not appear on the bill, please go to the payment and register portal and register your vehicle.In some cases, you may receive an email notification for a bill prior to receiving the paper copy in the mail.The payment portal notifications are provided as an additional service and will not replace your paper copy of the bill.

If you believe that you have paid those bills, please ignore the email.

We look forward to serving you online.

Sincerely,
Francis X. O'Lear
Arlington County Treasurer

He said "remainder" instead of "reminder." Oh, and the Arlington County Treasurer is actually Francis X. O'Leary, not Francis X. O'Lear. He spelled his name wrong.

One more edit: Just got the apology email!

Dear Taxpayer:

Unfortunately, an inexperienced but well-meaning County technician recently emailed you a tax reminder and inadvertently listed your email address and those of others. I sincerely apologize for this error and have taken steps to prevent a reoccurrence.

Sincerely,
Frank O'Leary
Treasurer

I feel bad for the inexperienced technician, this is a horrible time to look for a new job. At least Franky got his last name right this time.

Labels: humor