[nfb-talk] Fw: City threatens blind woman over unpaid 1-cent bill

[Ed Meskys]

Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 5:13 PM
Subject: City threatens blind woman over unpaid 1-cent bill


City threatens blind woman over unpaid 1-cent bill

November 18, 2008

ATTLEBORO, Mass.—A 74-year-old blind woman was shocked when her
daughter found a letter from the city saying a lien would be placed
on her home unless she paid an overdue water bill.

The amount? 1 cent.

Eileen Wilbur told The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro the letter sent her
blood pressure soaring, and pointed out that stamps cost 42 cents.

City Collector Debora Marcoccio said the letter was among 2,000 sent
out. A computer automatically prints letters for accounts with an
overdue balance, and they are not reviewed by staff before being
mailed, she said.

The letter warned of a lien and a $48 penalty if the overdue bill is
not paid by Dec. 10. The charge was from the previous fiscal year,
which ran from July 2007 to July 2008.

"My question is, how come it wasn't paid when the (original) bills
went out?" Marcoccio said.

Wilbur's daughter, Rose Brederson, who discovered the bill in her
mother's mail, called the situation "ridiculous." But she said her
mother, who has lived in the home since 1959, would likely end up
paying the penny.

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Information from: The Sun Chronicle, http://www.thesunchronicle.com