Saturday, January 22, 2011

Wonder What the City Wants

The City knows I live here.  I bought this place two years ago.  The City bills me for electricity, water, and trash pick up.  I also had to give the City a copy of my deed to the property so that I could get the building permits for the remodelling before I moved in.  What I'm saying is:  The City knows I live here.

Which is why I was confused when, two days ago, I received in my mail a "pick up a certified letter at the post office" notice, addressed to the prior owners, indicating it was from the City.

I left the notice for my mail carrier with a polite note saying to return the letter to sender, and noting the prior owners' new address.  (Which isn't in the same City, so I have no idea if the City has any business with them now.)

I pondered the notice long and hard and thought ... alarm permit renewal.  When I bought the place, the prior owner told me they had a permit for the alarm system, and I think it had two years left on it.  The City probably wants the renewal paid.  The City might have failed to notice that (since the damn things are non-transferable), I actually got a new alarm permit when I moved in (good through 2013).  So, I figured the certified letter from the City would probably be the "Hey, you didn't pay for your alarm permit renewal" letter to the prior owner.

Excepting, two days later, I received in the mail, addressed to the prior owner, a non-certified letter from the City permit department which was (as I easily discovered, since the envelope was conveniently unsealed) a bill for their alarm permit renewal.

So.  I still don't know what the City wanted (on a certified basis) from the prior owner -- and whether it was actually applicable to me.  I'm sure I'll find out, soon enough, if the City resends it to me.  

I just can't think that anything the City would take the trouble to send via certified mail, return receipt requested, could possibly be a good thing.

1 comment:

Wil said...

As a former city bureaucrap type, I agree -- nothing good comes in a Certified, bla-bla-bla letter from the city. If it isn't a big falderol about the alarm permit and the previous owners failing in their duty to cancel the damned thing after you got your new permit, it is likely to be a bit of bad news. Tax department reassessment. Building department busybodies looking for trouble. New sex offender neighbor. Exterior zoning violation for grass too tall.

Nope, nothing good ever comes via certified mail from government.