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Ripoff:
The City's personal property tax bills are out. Mine indicates that I can pay the tax via the City website.
That looks like a nice idea until you go there and discover there is a "convenience fee" for saving them the cost of handling the transaction manually. My $150 car tax costs an extra six bucks to pay via the web site. The entire table of "convenience fees" is on the web site.
I think I'll just pay the old-fashioned $0.34 to the Post Office and let the City lose the check (again) manually.
Libby's email regarding the Fauquier shoot-em-up:
From: junkdiver [junkdiver@netzero.net]
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 9:49 PM
To: Bill Johnson (E-mail); Bill Pantele (E-mail); C. Jamison (E-mail);
David McCoy (E-mail); Paul Kiniry (E-mail); Teresa Gooch (E-mail); Manny
Loupassi (E-mail)
Cc: Chuck Epps (E-mail); Chris Sterling (E-mail); Ed Parks (E-mail);
Irene Jennings (E-mail); Joan Dyer (E-mail); John Butcher (E-mail); John
Butcher (E-mail 2); Larry Beadles (E-mail); Mari Shaw (E-mail); Meg
Lawrence (E-mail); Mike & linda LaBell (E-mail); Nick Hayes (E-mail);
Tim Pfohl (E-mail)
Subject: Crime in BellevueOnce again we have experienced a very serious crime in Bellevue; one we haven't had before. At 1:30 a.m. this morning there was a drive by shooting in the 3800 block of Fauquier Ave. Two bullets penetrated the bedroom of the home while the owners were sleeping. Thanks to our highly effective Neighborhood Watch the word spread quickly. However, it was not deemed important enough to make today's Community Noteworthy.
The type and frequency of crime in Bellevue is escalating. This is not acceptable. We have been asking for increased patrols and a beat officer in Bellevue for a long time. This proves our request is justified. We want action now!
We do not need to be sending City Manager Calvin Jamison and nine other city employees to Portland Oregon for a five day conference held by the National Forum for Black Administrators at a cost of $12,000 - $ 15,000 or more. We need to be hiring and training police officers to control crime in Richmond.
It is time for the Richmond City Council to seriously tackle the major problems in our city and quit wasting the taxpayers money.
Libby Clark
Bellevue Neighborhood Watch
4013 Chevy Chase St
Richmond, Va. 23227
John's note to CVS about preventing stickups:
From: ATT Broadband - JRB [JohnRButcher@attbi.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2002 1:50 PM
To: Swanson, Jeff; Dillow, Lester
Cc: [BCA email list]
Subject: FW: Lucky's StickupsJeff & Lester,
It looks like we were asking for the wrong thing with the guard. Not so the cash management and opening up that window. I hope you will be hearing from my neighbors on the subject.
-----Original Message-----
From: ATT Broadband - JRB [mailto:JohnRButcher@attbi.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2002 1:44 PM
To: [the BCA mailing list]
Subject: FW: Lucky's StickupsNeighbors,
The story about Lucky's in the North of the James paper and a quick look at the internet
http://www.7-eleven.com/newsroom/robberydeterrence.asp
http://www.securitymanagement.com/library/000236.html
serve to remind us that:
1. It is not acceptable for the owner to not use the design and operational techniques that will help keep his store from bringing crime into our neighborhood, and
2. We asked CVS for the wrong remedy when we demanded a guard. Cash control and opening up that window clearly are the first things to try over there.If you share my views on this, I hope you will share them with the store owners.
-----Original Message-----
From: ATT Broadband - JRB [mailto:JohnRButcher@attbi.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2002 1:35 PM
To: Manoli Loupassi (Mloupassi@mail.com)
Cc: Bill Pantele; Bill Pantele (o) (whitejp@ci.richmond.va.us); W. Randolph, Jr. Johnson (biljohnson@co.hanover.va.us)
Subject: Lucky's StickupsThe North of the James paper reports six stickups at the Lucky's on the Boulevard in five months. The paper goes on to report a commitment to Mr. Pantele by the owner "to significantly reduce the amount of cash on hand."
On behalf of the Bellevue Safety Committee, I thank Mr. Pantele for his vigorous and helpful intervention. I think that his participation has produced the added benefit of exposing the unacceptable ignorance or neglect of the store owner.
7-Eleven has known about the importance of cash control since about 1975.
http://www.7-eleven.com/newsroom/robberydeterrence.asp
They have shared that information. Using cash control and fishbowl store design (another technique that Lucky's owner obviously does not know about) and training (also no sign that Lucky's owner has had any), 7-Eleven has cut its robbery rate by 71%.71% of six stickups is more than four stickups that probably could have been prevented if the Lucky's store had been designed and operated intelligently.
This situation is not acceptable. I hope the City will think about a training course for convenience store owners. I know you can count on Bellevue and the nearby neighborhoods to insist that store owners take the course and acquire and apply the information necessary to keep their property from bringing unnecessary crime into the neighborhood.
============================================
John Butcher
JohnRButcher@attbi.com
1508 Avondale Avenue, Richmond, VA 23227
804/264-5942@ work:
JButcher@oag.state.va.us
804/786-4073 fax: 786-0034HOMICIDE, n. The slaying of one human being by another. There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy, but it makes no great difference to the person slain whether he fell by one kind or another -- the classification is for advantage of the lawyers. --Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary ============================================
Pres. Tim's note about Crisis Pregnancy Center:
From: TIM PFOHL [TPFOHL@dhcd.state.va.us]
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 6:13 PM
Subject: Crisis Pregnancyfyi, after going to the expense and effort of printing and distributing 1,300 newsletters to Bellevue households this past week, featuring a notice that the Crisis Pregnancy Center's application for a special use permit to use 4100 Brook Road for "social services delivery" was scheduled to be heard at City Council this coming Monday evening (Feb 25), we were notified by Crisis Pregnancy's lawyer late Tuesday afternoon (2/19) that they will ask for their case to be removed from the Council agenda. It is our understanding that the case can not be removed until Council votes to remove it at that meeting on Monday, but Councilman Johnson assures us nothing untoward will happen, and several of us will be there to observe.
Crisis Pregnancy has told us they intend to amend their application and return to Planning Commission. Those of you in Bellevue may have received a letter last week announcing a public open house sponsored by Crisis Pregnancy to gather input at Ginter Park Baptist Church this coming Tuesday (Feb 26) at 7:30. It is highly unsettling that there have now been two last minute deferrals by Crisis Pregnancy, including this last date that they specifically requested for a hearing, but they are the applicant and have some leeway to adjust their application. Unfortunately, it has meant that the Bellevue Civic Association has now spent time and money on two issues of our newsletter announcing a Council hearing, several residents may not get the word and go to Council unnecessarily on the 25th, and the matter will drag on for all interested parties well into 2002 - a situation that no one wants, but seems to be the hand we are dealt.
Thank you for your patience and persistence as we address this issue, and please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me with questions. if you got multiple copies of this message, I apologize, but we are agressively trying to get the word out due to the last minute change by the applicant. if you know someone who hasn't gotten the word, please share the news.
best wishes ...
Tim Pfohl, President
Bellevue Civic Association
264-1362
We had an interesting exchange (below) about untagged dogs on the loose. Copeland also wrote her neighbors.
From: Laura Finch [mailto:lfinch@hsc.vcu.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 12:42 AM
Subject: Re: doggies. . . I am getting ready to round up phone numbers again on my block and I was going to add this idea in to my note to them. The SPCA does charge a fee and every dog is supposed to have a dog license on. Let me know what I can do. Laura
Copeland Casati wrote:
> John,
> In response to your inquiry below, I think it should be a neighborhood > campaign... I have lived that letter below! It is so frustrating, and
> you're only trying to help the animal from being hit by a car. It
> turns your household inside out, they usually stay for (at least) the
> weekend even if they do have tags because it's only vet info and not
> contact info; those that don't have ids we take to the SPCA on
> Mondays... and then feel guilty about adding to their load as they are
> always so full. I betcha a dollar that it is unlawful to have dogs
> without collars & id. So how do you enforce it the law? Neighborhood
> campaign would be the most effective.> Dogs on the loose have been a hot topic this year; maybe it would help
> build momentum for responsibility. If we could angle it right, it
> might motivate the masses. An article in our neighborhood newsletters
> followed by block captains emailing a synopsis of city code regarding
> the requirements for dogs, coupled with a nice
> up-friendly-and-personal appeal from the block captain, might convey
> the right friendly but thorough tone needed to prod those who have not
> yet been motivated.> FYI: There are certain dogs I have returned more than twice to their
> owners. On the third encounter, I make it a policy to then NOT contact
> them, take the dogs to the SPCA, and then have THEM contact the
> owners. I believe you have to pay a fee to have your dog returned in
> exchange for the room & board there (but am not sure); or at least it
> might make the owner realize that there is a chance their dog is not
> just eating icecream cones from a neighborhood toddler's hand but is
> in an unpleasant environment AND a hassle for them to retreive the
> animal.> Let's all talk about what I can do/block captains/newsletters to
> address this.> COPELAND CASATI MEDIA
> www.copelandcasati.com
> 804 515 7886> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Butcher" <%20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20>
> To: "Copeland Casati" <copeland@copelandcasati.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 5:13 PM
> Subject: FW: doggies> > Copeland,
> > Congrats on the momentintime site.
> > Is there an organization for this kind of puppy issue or is it just a
> > scattered few who care?> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Laura Finch [mailto:lfinch@hsc.vcu.edu]
> > Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 7:26 PM
> > To: %20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20
> > Subject: doggies> > Hello John,
> > . . . I am at 1611 Nottoway and the crime block
> > captain for years on this block. Anyway.....my neighbor and I were
> > wondering if we could post something on getting a campaign for
> > people to put ID tags on their dogs. We have found no less than 8,
> > maybe more, dogs this year, most without tags. We have each then
> > spent hours trying to locate their owners, kept several overnight at
> > our homes and finally gotten each of them back to their owners. In 2
> > instances they were pairs of dogs. Several owners have been very
> > blase about the whole thing and some very appreciative. Even the
> > ones with tags have sometimes had no number or outdated numbers on
> > them. We don't like to leave the dogs running loose because we have
> > also seen the consequences of that. One dog I found was partly
> > squashed on Hermitage with his partner dog running around him. They
> > can get tags cheaply at Pet Smart while they wait or mail off for
> > ones that are more solid. The SPCA, right down the road on
> > Chamberlayne, has a nice tag with a 1-800 number and ID
> > number/registry. Thanks for any help.Lost Dog Magnet Laura Finch
Last updated
10/08/02
Please send questions or comments to John
Butcher