I have returned from round 2 in the quest for legality. Today's match was with the Travis County Tax Assessor's Office. Luckily I got a very helpful employee, we'll just call her Miss P.. Miss P. politely shattered the illusions I had developed during phone calls to the Tax Assessor's Office and TxDOT (Texas Dept. of Transportation.) As it turns out, everything I was told during my phone quests was wrong and the paperwork I had would have, if filed, returned ownership to the Buchanan VFD.

I managed to take the first step, which was to get the title in my name. I was offered other alternatives, but I didn't come close to understanding what they actually were, so I declined. Additionally I was able to drop off the request for antique plates at the Tax Assessor's Office, who will send it over to TxDOT. When TxDOT informs me that my (ugly) plates are in, I can go, pick up the plates at the Tax Assessor's and register the truck at the same time.

Today I had to pay $106.79 to get the title transferred. This was because I accurately reported the sales price, I then had to pay the sales tax. Few people report the real sales price of vehicles sold between individuals in Texas. Most folk go with $100 to avoid the sales tax. Wuss, Boy Scout, whatever, I had to fess up or lose sleep.

My mother has been sharing this blog with relatives (howdy!) and let me know that her brother, my uncle Ralph, "went to the manufacturers school for operation and maintenance of pumps and maintained the crash trucks in the air force for years." It's amazing how many people's lives have some relationship to fire trucks. Oh I wish my uncle was closer than 2000+ miles away. Not the least because I've never really known him and the opportunity to get to know my uncle while messing about with a fire truck is a wonderful idea.

I'm starting to wonder whether I might end up using an airplane ticket, that I missed getting to use to go to my sister's wedding :-( , to go to Ferrell, NJ and interview the folks up there. I called and left a message with the Ferrell Fire Co., so perhaps they'll call back and tell me there is someone around who remembers the truck. It would be an interesting trip....

--T




posted by Tim at 11:09 AM | Link