Thank you for publishing my letter on June 26th. To be fair to Mr. Nichols, I would like to update my situation.
I was finally able to speak with Mr. Nichols on Tuesday, June 25th regarding his office charging me collection fees on taxes that were assesed to my business in error. Although Mr. Nichols felt the inflated charges were completely allowable, he did agree to dismiss one of the collection warrants against me and the fees he incurred from obtaining the warrant. Ultimately, I will pay the county a few pennies under $185 for the actual taxes of $72.94 I owe.
Mr. Nichols' concern for my situation was far different from the attitude I received from the employees at the Tax Collector's office. As I mentioned in my previous letter, the first employee I spoke with was not concerned about the county's error, refused to even consider correcting it and warned that she would ultimately proceed with her warrant and take what she wanted to from my business. Then, when I called to make an appointment to speak to Mr. Nichols the second employee informed me, 'I could speak to him if I wanted to but he would not be willing to help me.'
In contrast, Mr. Nichols was willing to speak with me and come to a conclusion that was acceptable to both parties. Although I still think it is unfair to be charged for an error made by the county, I do appreciate Stan Collie Nichols’ willingness to try resolve the county’s error.
I hope my situation will help him find better ways for his staff to handle the county’s errors in the future. Respect for the taxpayer should be the first goal of every person employed by this county.
Patricia Kruger
Milton, FL
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Respect for taxpayer is job one