Smith County Tax Assessor‑Collector Gary Barber told the Commissioners Court on June 24 that upcoming state changes to dealer processing and the elimination of paper temporary tags will increase workload in the county tax office and asked the court to approve two additional employees and related operational investments.

Barber said the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is moving dealer processing to a web‑based model and dealers will transmit transactions electronically. He told commissioners that the county’s DMV operations already deliver roughly $3.8 million in non‑taxpayer revenue to the county and that the office must adapt systems and staff to accommodate new dealer workflows and the July 1 switch away from paper temporary tags to metal plates.

“We last week, we went to our software provider. We're working to get a dealer portal where they can file their SIT reports electronically and be able to pay,” Barber said, describing outreach to more than 100 car dealers and coordination with the DMV regional office. He also said the state has moved away from paper tags after fraud concerns and that dealers will receive allocated metal plates until final registration is complete.

Budget and staffing: Barber said he trimmed some part‑time costs from his baseline budget and that, with the proposed COLA and two new employees, his office would still return roughly $1.29 million in non‑taxpayer revenue to the county while covering increased workloads. He asked for two additional autos for new employees and said he is working with IT and vendors on dealer‑portal implementation and training.

What the court did: Barber’s presentation was part of the FY2026 budget workshop; commissioners asked follow‑up questions and thanked him for dealer outreach. No formal appropriation was taken that day.

Ending: Barber said he would continue coordinating with the state DMV, dealers and county IT to implement the new processes and return with refined budget and staffing details.