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Staff warns of headaches from new tax software as wheel-tax distribution and a new highway fund are explained
Summary
County staff described delays and reporting problems with new tax software, outlined a separate fund for county wheel-tax receipts (about $4,900), and clarified that wheel-tax revenue is apportioned among four incorporated towns and the county.
At a Warren County meeting, a county staff member reported continued delays in training on new tax software and warned the transition was creating extra daily work for staff.
"It's very overwhelming," the staff member said, describing weather-related training interruptions and cumbersome mailed reports from the state. The staff member said they had reverted to spreadsheets to track receipts while waiting for the state's reports to align with electronic payments.
The presentation explained how will/wheel-tax receipts arrive in different forms: mailed reports for some collections, traditional EFTs for others, and excise-based surtax receipts that appear on the state website with a two- to three-week lag. The staff member said this lag complicates the county's obligation to disburse funds by the twentieth of the month.
On funding, the staff member said the county created a separate fund under the ordinance that will hold the county portion of the wheel/will tax, citing an internal figure of about $4,900 intended to be used by the highway department as a match for projects. The staff member described permissible uses as highway-related work and said the allocation helped determine the dollar amount placed in the fund.
Participants also discussed wheel-tax rates and categories of vehicles. The chair said the common schedule included $15 for passenger cars and light trucks and $30 for heavy rigs and semis; members noted exemptions may apply for certain municipal plates or nontraditional vehicle registrations but said details were not fully resolved during the meeting.
The staff member reiterated the distribution of wheel-tax receipts: the revenue is split among five taxing units — the four incorporated towns and the county — and solid-waste was not believed to receive a portion. The staff member said the state provides a detailed spreadsheet showing the allocations.
No formal action was taken on the tax-administration items during the meeting; staff said they would continue to reconcile receipts, complete training, and report back when disbursement procedures are finalized.
