Prompted by Spokane couple’s mistaken toll, state House backs apologies

OLYMPIA – Motorists who get a toll bill for a bridge they didn’t cross or a highway they didn’t use would get a letter of apology from the state agency if it doesn’t properly respond to their appeals, under a bill that passed the House Tuesday. The Department of Transportation’s tolling agency would also contact the people who appeal a challenged toll by phone, mail or email. House Transportation Committee Chairwoman Judy Clibborn said it will move the state toward the civility that all agencies should have when they make a mistake. “Your agency should send a letter of apology,” Clibborn said. “It’s about being a better agency.” Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, who proposed the amendment requiring the apology when the tolling agency makes an error, said it was prompted in part by the experience of Dennis and Shirley Wendlandt, a Spokane couple who received a bill for their trailer crossing the 520 bridge when the trailer had been in their front yard. The agency only dropped the bill after a column by Doug Clark appeared in The Spokesman-Review.