Story Archive

Passing the Buck

As a protest, Scott Dion of Havre, Mont., writes messages on the checks he sends in to pay his property taxes. Hill County Treasurer Sandy Brown refused to cash his 2016 check, which said on the memo line was for “Sexual Favors”. Interest and penalties started to accrue on Dion’s account, so Dion hired an attorney to complain about Brown’s “discriminatory nonaction.” A County Commissioner demanded resolution, and Hill County Attorney Karen Alley provided her opinion: the check should have been cashed without delay. By then, Brown had “lost” the check, so Dion provided a new one — minus the two-plus years of penalties and interest — with the same wording on the memo line. The check was cashed, and Dion is considering filing suit demanding he be reimbursed for his attorney’s fees. (RC/Havre Herald) ...Will he accept a check with “PITA citizen” on the memo line?