Rolly: What we have here is a failure to communicate

When Steve Pace renewed his car registration earlier this month, he sent the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles all the pertinent papers, including his emissions test results. But he did not include the safety inspection certificate because it said at the top: "May not be used to register vehicle."

But he then got a return letter from DMV telling him he needed to send in the bottom portion of the safety certificate to register the car.

Pace called DMV to point out the discrepancy between the instructions on the safety certificate and the letter saying the department needed it.

"The lady at the DMV told me they needed the identifying information on the certificate, like the vehicle identification number, the certificate number and the license plate number. I told her they already had all that information in their computer."

That's when the woman told Pace that while that information was already stored in a state computer database, it was the Highway Patrol's data base, not the DMVs.

So he needs to send in a copy of the certificate to provide the information that the state already has, but two of its departments won't share.

When Pace asked what they would do with the copy once he sent it, he was told they just throw it away because keeping all that paper would be too much clutter.

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Bait and switch • Here's one way to shore up a city budget during tough times.

Remember last month when Salt Lake City announced its solar-powered parking meters were malfunctioning because they had overheated, so people could park for free until they were fixed?

Those who didn't get the memo may have ended up paying the fee anyway, and in some cases many times over.

During the time the meters were out in early July, but before the city announced they were not working, Priscilla Kawakami took her husband to dinner at the Takashi restaurant on Market Street to celebrate his retirement.

She dipped her credit card, but it was refused. Not knowing the meters were broken, she moved her car and then tried her husband's card — twice. When that didn't work, they tried their son's card, which of course was rejected along with the others.

But while the machines were showing that the cards weren't accepted, they actually were recording the card numbers and accepting payments.

The Kawakamis last week received bills for each time they swiped a card in the broken meters.

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"The Twilight Zone" • Shirley Madsen has lived in her house on Mary Rose Drive in Murray since it was built in 1958.

She has always known exactly where she lives, until recently. Now she's confused.

She started getting questions about her address when she ordered products online. She would be asked if she meant Mary Rose Avenue instead of Mary Rose Drive. So, to avoid the hassle, she began using the designation "Mary Rose Avenue" when ordering online, even though the street sign said Mary Rose Drive.

Last week she received a note from a dear friend in Elko, Nev., who said her previous mailing with Mary Rose Drive had been returned with the stamp, "No such address." The new envelope designated Mary Rose Avenue and was delivered.

She contacted the Murray Post Office, where an agent said her address did not exist. He recommended she contact the Salt Lake County Department that deals with road signs. She tried, but after being transferred several times, she gave up.

Her phone book has her address listed as living on Mary Rose Drive, which, apparently, doesn't exist.

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This explains everything • Republican Salt Lake County Chairman Chad Bennion, who sparked controversy recently when he called Democratic District Attorney Sim Gill a cop hater, then blamed the resulting furor on the media, lists his favorite things on his Facebook page.

The first name listed among his favorite authors? Niccolo Machiavelli.

prolly@sltrib.com —