Against the mandatory address changes

To the Editor:

This is a copy of a letter sent to County Commissioner John Konzen.

Dear Commissioner Konzen:

We disagree with your statement as quoted in The Western News on Aug. 24, that: "For most people there's absolutely no cost except addresses on business signs and numbers engraved on rocks."

If one must notify all the listed bureaucracies and senders of mail it will cost money for postage or for phone calls when there isn't an 800 number.

Perhaps it doesn't cost one any extra to notify senders by e-mail, but not everyone is online.

Additionally, some businesses and homeowners have spent hundreds of dollars on the aforementioned signs. Also many people buy return address labels or rubber stamps or printed letterhead stationary; all of these will need to be replaced.

If the computerized map for emergency personnel is tied into phone numbers, why do street/mailing addresses have to change?

A letter from Patty Crow to The Western News recently said such a 911 system was instituted in Denver without changing addresses. Why not here?

Furthermore, not everyone has a telephone. We do not, but would use a neighbor's phone to call 911 if necessary.

Since the computerized map shows the location of the phone, not where the emergency is in such a case, would one be able to override the computerized system to say where the emergency vehicle should come?

A GeoComm person at their 800 number said one could give directions to the dispatcher if one called from a cell or neighbor's phone.

We hope that with the automated system, a caller always gets a real person, not a recorded voice.

Also, if GeoComm is misspelling people's names on the address change notices, we wonder how many other glitches there will be.

John and Lynn Hancock

On the Yaak