Adams County Board urged to press state after tag-printing outage leaves residents without stickers

Adams County tax-collection staff told the Board of Supervisors the county currently cannot print or issue vehicle tags because a statewide firewall and virtual private network problem stemming from a recent system crash prevents access to the state tag-printing system. The board heard that while motorists can pay renewal fees online and receive receipts, the county cannot generate or mail physical stickers at this time.

The tax collector told the board staff have spoken with state IT contacts and described the outage as a statewide problem that may take weeks or months to fully restore; she said the inability to print tags has halted normal revenue collection and left residents without the physical documents they use during traffic stops. County staff and the sheriff’s office raised concerns about how law enforcement should handle drivers pulled over without a tag sticker.

County Administrator Miss Con said she would contact the state Department of Revenue and local contacts immediately to pursue a workaround and to clarify whether online payment receipts will suffice for officers in the field. Board members also asked staff to explore whether the county can issue interim forms or receipts, and whether the sheriff’s office could be provided guidance to avoid unnecessary citations while the system is restored.

The tax collector said some online transactions still produce proof-of-payment receipts, but the county currently cannot produce a printed sticker or the official printout residents typically use as evidence of renewal. She described prior incidents in other counties that have taken months to resolve and urged the board to consider short-term administrative remedies while the state fixes the backend firewall/VPN connections.

The board did not adopt a formal policy change at the meeting but directed the county administrator to pursue state-level troubleshooting and to coordinate with the sheriff’s office and other affected departments. Supervisors asked that the county post clear public guidance on the website and via the county's emergency notification channels explaining what motorists should carry as proof of renewal while the printing issue remains unresolved.