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County clerk warns of plate-fraud, toll-by-mail problems and points to appeals backlog
Summary
Allegany County's county clerk reported a statewide DMV data conversion that left other offices temporarily closed, praised local staff for keeping services running, and detailed recurring toll-by-mail and plate-fraud problems that produce default judgments for residents; he said constituent services have helped route appeals but the state appeal process remains difficult.
County Clerk Mr. Chrisman told the Allegany County personnel committee on March 4 that a recent statewide data conversion caused disruption across New York but the county's DMV maintained service while absorbing extra workload from neighboring counties.
"The biggest change in the history of DMV took place about three weeks ago," Mr. Chrisman said, describing consolidation of data systems. He singled out deputy Amanda Joyce Phelps and her staff for keeping the office operational while others closed.
Mr. Chrisman also spent substantial time describing problems with toll-by-mail and counterfeit or misread license plates. He said some plates appear to be sold online and then are used at tolled facilities; the machine readers sometimes misidentify characters, producing images that lead to default judgments against county residents. "You can buy plates on Amazon," he told the committee, and added that the resulting toll invoices can lead to onerous collections actions when appeals are ignored.
The clerk said county staff now assemble appeal packets with photos and registrations and route them through state senator offices and constituent services to obtain a human review; he named Senator Burello's staff and assistants as helpful conduits. He described the current state process as largely automated with limited human oversight, which makes appeals difficult and often forces residents to prove their innocence after a default has been entered.
Amanda Joyce Phelps, the deputy identified by the clerk, said her staff had been "amazing" during the conversion and praised colleagues who helped other counties.
Mr. Chrisman asked committee members to raise the appeal-process problems when communicating with state officials in Albany so the state creates a clearer human-review route for contested toll-by-mail cases. The committee acknowledged the issue and asked to be notified if a television segment airs that details the problem.
Next step: the clerk will continue to assemble appeal packets and coordinate with state legislative offices; the committee recorded the report but took no formal policy action on toll appeals at the meeting.
