MASSACHUSETTS BAILS OUT NEW YORK

New York's lawmakers may be making a morass out of themselves up in Albany yet again, but so far none of them have threatened a lien on a 74-year-old blind woman's house over a one-cent balance on a water bill. Note the tone of humble concern on the part of our:

The city sent Wilbur a letter dated Nov. 10 stating that if the 1 cent balance is not paid by Dec. 10, the city will assess a lien of up to $48 on Wilbur's next property tax bill.

"They wasted taxpayer money on the letter," Wilbur said, noting the 42-cent charge for a stamp.

City Collector Debora Marcoccio said the bill was sent out along with more than 2,000 others as the city tries to recoup outstanding balances before resorting to putting liens on property. A computer automatically printed the letters for any account with a balance remaining, and they were not reviewed by staff before being sent out, Marcoccio said."It would be fiscally irresponsible for me to have staff weed through the bills and pull out any below a certain amount," Marcoccio said. "And what would that amount be?"

Staff, schmaff. These people never heard of interns, let alone simple accounts-receivable software that can sort bills by amount and write off the ones that aren't worth the cost of collecting? And as for amounts, how's about any amount smaller than the cost of a stamp means you get on the horn and make a phone call instead, ma'am? Continuing...

According to the letter, the outstanding balance stems from a water and sewer bill from fiscal year 2008, which ran from July 2007 to July 2008. Marcoccio said that before lien notices are sent out, the city sends out bills for the outstanding balance."My question is, how come it wasn't paid when the bills went out?" she said.

In the meantime, the city is holding firm on the amount due. Marcoccio, who called the whole situation "ridiculous," said the city will not waive the balance. "If there's a bill, it must be paid," she said.

Y'know, she's right...so how's about she checks up on the various unpaid balances owed by other municipal officials, state legislators, and so on and so forth. Meanwhile, a former member of the city council has taken care of the bill...and even that came with headaches:

Antonio Viveiros, 62, a former city councilor from Attleboro who never met Wilbur, acted on his own. He marched into the city collector's office yesterday, but the clerk at the window didn't recognize him. When he said he wanted to pay Wilbur's bill, he said the clerk asked whether he had the bill. "I said, 'I don't need a bill to pay a bill.' " After the clerk checked with a colleague about whether he could pay Wilbur's bill, he wrote the city a check for a penny. "I understand these things are computer-generated, but there has to be more compassion in government," he said. "Arrogance is never appreciated."

Except in Massachusetts and Albany, where arrogance and thickheadedness are requirements for positions of governmental authority.