Dear Editor,
In late July, I received a letter from the City of Richmond saying I hadn’t paid my taxes and a healthy fine was attached to my assessment.
I had used the community mailbox at Blundell Centre to mail in my taxes and form a few days before the dewadline. The city never received it. I didn’t find out until Aug. 2 when it was cashed. It was lost somewhere at Richmond City Hall, the post office, or who knows where.
One of the drivers who pick up mail there said it is picked up every day, so what happened to it?
It is bad enough as a senior to not get any grant for the first time because they conveniently jumped our assessment just before the taxes came out. Now I have to pay a five-per-cent fine on the assessment amount.
I have shown the city a copy of the cheque and form that was in the envelope, but they would not honour it. The post office only indicated they appreciated hearing from me, but not to expect a response.
The letter was not tracked as I now realize it should have been, but I usually just drop any letter in the mailbox and expect it to get to its destination in reasonable time. I don’t expect it to take a month within the city.
Now that I know my letter did get to city hall a month later and has been cashed, who should pay the fine? Somehow I don’t feel it should be me.
Does everyone get their letters tracked before dropping them in the mail?
John B. Beatty
Richmond
