Evanston, IL. Not the idyllic, elite Chicago-but-not-Chicago-lure-of-the-northern-suburbs city they want you to believe. Why? Because they will CUT YOU with their bureaucratic tickets and fines and fees. Honest mistakes don't exist for these people, and yet they do not want to be held accountable for any mistake they make.
Date: Jan. 29th, 2013.
Scene: Night of an epic thunderstorm (yes, thunderstorm, in the dead of winter) in Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area. The storm was so bad there were numerous flash flood warnings issued. Visibility was near zero.
Story: I finish a long day at the hospital on my surgery rotation. I arrive well before sunrise, and leave well after dark. On my way home, I stop at the Jewel on Howard. I'm in luck - a parking spot right near the door! I pull in, run in (in the midst of said thunderstorm) and grab a few things, and dash back out...only to find a parking ticket on my car. What? My plates are there, my sticker is not expired... There must be some mistake. Well, a mistake, an honest mistake, on my part. Apparently I had parked in a handicapped spot.
Now, background: I am not a bad person. I do not go around stealing handicapped spots. I do not accumulate numerous parking violations. I do not have a criminal record, or any other ne'er-do-well records, for that matter.
The night of the storm, the rain coming down and the puddles on the ground completely obscured the worn, faded paint of the handicapped sign on the cement of the parking spot itself. In addition to that, the adjacent spot (of the yellow diagonal line variety that accompanies handicapped spots and prevents others from parking next to them) was illegally taken up by another car. The signpost for the handicapped spot was in the middle of these two spots, and I mistakenly attributed that handicapped sign to the illegally parked car next to me, assuming my spot (w/ no obvious paint for a handicapped spot on it!) was a legitimate, non-handicapped parking spot.
Wrong. Okay. I made a mistake. I am irritated about it, but I understand. I contest the ticket, complete w/ picture (although, go figure, the adjacent illegally parked car had moved by the time I returned to my car, weakening my case) and explanation. Since I am utterly too busy and do not have a whole lot of control over my hospital schedule, I choose not to contest the ticket in person - instead, I contest it online. Another mistake, though I thought at the time that events of that night were so sensible and understandable and downright legitimate (and true, for pete's sake!) that I would be successful in my contestation. So I file my contestation online. After submitting, "they" (read: The City of Evanston) state a decision will be sent by mail.
I wait. No decision.
I wait longer. No decision.
Finally, March 20th, 2013, I receive a third and final notice of outstanding judgment, complete with a $100 late fee in addition to my still-liable-so-I-still-owe $250 original ticket fee.
WTH?!
Long story short: when I call to inquire about this, the nice ladies (really, they were nice - just incredibly unhelpful) at the hearings office informed me that their policy was to drop the notice in first class mail, trust in the USPS, and the responsibility lies w/ the community member thereafter. If the notice fails to appear in said community member's mailbox, tough luck. If said community member incurs a late fee, well, the hearings office doesn't handle that, and you'll instead have to speak with the collections folks. Convenient passing of the buck, no?
Statistically, it makes more sense that any of the numerous steps prior to the community member opening their mailbox could have gone wrong, and it is much more likely the community member never received their notice. But that means nothing to The City of Evanston. Also, the community member is held liable regardless of whether or not they ever received their notice. Why? Because that's the way it is, apparently. I will be taking this up w/ The City of Evanston and their city code tonight. Is there some statute that dictates the manner in which residents are required to be notified regarding judgments, e.g.? No, that's just the way it is. How is that fair to the community?
ARGH, this is so frustrating. Initial contestation aside, I refuse to pay a late fee for something I never received. With no history of mail delivery failure and perfectly good delivery of their final notice, I will most certainly argue the late fee. This whole thing is a ridiculous bureaucratic run-around where the community is blamed, put-out, and put-upon by the officials by whom they are supposed to be served.
Here. Have my $250*. And my eternal hatred.
* That's right. I am not paying your late fee, you inconsiderate, suspicious bums.