all hail the hall of records

I have dealt with more than my share of hellish bureaucracy, and I'm sure you feel that you have, as well. Dealing with that shit drives me mad. But I have to give some snaps to those very humane humans at the Fresno County Hall of Records.

You see, recently I found myself needing to correct a mistake involving property taxes on our new house. Last year when we bought our lovely little home, I was very clear in requesting an impound account to cover the home insurance and property taxes. Little did I know that my mortgage broker--who in every other respect was exemplary--would flub up this simple request. It wasn't until earlier this summer that I evidence of this problem arrived in the form of a delinquent bill for the 2004-05 taxes on the home. (Previous bills had been sent to the previous owners.) In any case, I have been visiting and writing the folks at the F C H of R, and in every instance they have been helpful and informative. An example: because the taxes on the property were overdue, $200 in late penalties had accrued. But when I explained the series of mistakes that led to my having to pay the taxes late, the F C H of R folks readily waived the late fees.

Today I paid my last installment, and I needed a receipt for the payment so that I could get the impound account started with my current mortgagee. Even though my check had not yet cleared for the second payment (bwahahahaha...), the H of R people provided me with a document indicating that my taxes have been paid in full.

So I'm giving a shout out to the Fresno County Hall of Records. Thanks, guys. You've turned what I was certain would be a nasty experience into a rather painless one. The only injury I've sustained is to my checking account, but hey, that sucker has survived much worse than this. Sometimes you should ask my checking account to show you his scars.