Simple transactions at City Hall shouldn’t be so cumbersome

They say you can’t fight City Hall. Turns out trying to work with them isn’t that easy either. I recently got a letter from the La Crosse Police Parking Utility informing me that my residential parking permit was about to expire and needed to be renewed. Actually we got two letters, one to me and one to my wife, mailed in separate envelopes even though we live at the same address. My block is two-hour parking, but as a homeowner I am eligible for a permit that allows me to park there without having to move my car every two hours. But the renewal process has been cumbersome at best. The letter said I could renew online, but that didn’t work. Or I could go to the police department in person to get it renewed anytime between 8:30 and 5. I went at 1, but apparently there is only one person in the whole department who can renew the permit, and they were out to lunch. The letter didn’t say between 8:30 and 5, except for the lunch hour. A nice employee took down my name and number and said the parking person would get back to me. They didn’t. Not after lunch, not later that day, not the next day. And if I ever get through to someone, the city says it takes 72 hours to process the request, then I will finally get my permit in the mail. Maybe even before my current permit expires. Something so simple shouldn’t be so difficult, even at City Hall.