Last week I faxed a FOIA Request to the McHenry Police Department, and this morning I received a phone call that the response is ready. How do I get it?
Pick it up at the McHenry Police Department and pay $0.60.
Now, I'm supposed to drive from Woodstock to McHenry (10.3 mi. each way) and pick it up. And drive back. IRS would say that's worth a $11.00 mileage deduction (20 mi. x $.55/mile). And no way to deduct for the one-hour of travel time.
So I inquired whether I could obtain it by mail. Yes. Mail in $0.60.
OK, so that'll just cost me $0.44 to mail my check for $0.60; and then it will cost the City of McHenry $0.44 to mail it back to me. So they will net $0.56; wait, take out the cost of the envelope and time to address it.
This is where stupidity in government procedures comes right to the fore. They could save money by waiving the $0.60 and just faxing it to me.
But, no. I've got to mail $0.60 to them. Well, it's on the way.
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9 comments:
Hey Buster- Fax machine costs... phone line charges... you wanna be part of the "machine", then get with the program!
Good grief... where do I sent my invoice to you for wasting my drinking time sending my stupid opinions to you??? Geez, I'm gonna upgrade to MD 20/20 this afternoon... bring back the good ole high school days of MadDog, and Boone's Farm.
See what you've done- I'm talking about drink'n again you punk!!!! DOH!
I forgot about those fax machine costs!
Thanks for reminding me, too, of the phone call I received from a Kane County deputy one night. I had been faxing traffic complaints to them about Randall Road near Route 72, a popular intersection for fatal auto accidents. He left a message for me to stop faxing my complaints, because I was wasting their toner and paper.
I thought I was doing my Good Citizen Duty by not calling and using up dispatcher time. I kind of figured that a dispatcher's time was worth more than 2 cents for a sheet of paper, but maybe not in Kane County at the time.
The dispatcher gets paid, whether you call them or not. However, a fax machine doesn't use up toner and paper if it's not used.
A piece of paper with complete traffic details gives a supervisor something to assign to a deputy at roll call. It takes less time to handle a piece of paper than for a dispatcher to record complete details. More importantly, it provides a "paper trail" that a complaint really was received; of course, some departments hate accountability. It's not so easy to ignore or avoid as a memo from a dispatcher.
Maybe, in some small way, I contributed to increased enforcement on Randall Road and at the intersection with Route 72. Had more drivers complained, maybe the fatality rate would have decreased sooner.
Randall Road... know it well. Waaaaaaaaay too many wrecks between Crystal Lake and Elgin all along that strip. Lots of Traffic checks along there too in the evenings, therefore I avoid it... not willing to share my liquor with the local Constiples (sp?).
Shows how little you know about dispatching...
No doubt things have since 1973. But dispatchers still answer phones and record information, whether it's on paper or in a computer. Still takes time. That part hasn't changed.
Plus, what I was communicating to a department wasn't for a dispatcher; it was for a supervisor. So why not see that he gets it directly, not second-hand.
Why don't you suggest an email system with electronic signature option? They don't have to even print it. And you can fork over your $.60 via PayPal or something.
I know the city of McHenry takes credit card payments, because that's the way I pay for my son's swim team, which is run by the city's recreation department.
If the city does not have a minimum charge, perhaps you could pay by credit card and avoid the postage.
In any event, won't the number of pages you see be free after January 1st because of the new law?
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