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Tax office warns of rising postage costs, pushes for drive‑through signage and considers small 'child safety' fee
Summary
Motor vehicle/tax office staff told the court that mail volume and upcoming state ID requirements will increase postage needs and recommended a $5,000 postage increase; staff also proposed clearer drive‑through signage and discussed using a per‑transaction 'child safety' fee to fund local safety programs.
The motor vehicle/tax office presented workload data and recommended modest budget increases on July 14 to offset rising postage and new state requirements.
The office reported processing 733 mail‑in renewals as of June 18 and roughly 13,000 pieces of mail from Oct. 1 through June 30. "So I have a feeling that our mail out is going to be significantly more next year," the motor vehicle official said, citing a January change requiring a state‑issued ID for certain transactions.
Staff recommended increasing the postage line by about $5,000 to account for higher mail volumes and new verification procedures that will generate more returned or supplemental mailings. The official also described a potential "child safety" option—charging up to $1.50 per registration transaction—to fund car‑seat and crosswalk safety programs, saying such a fee, even at $1 per registration, could generate meaningful funds for schools and safety projects.
Separately, the motor vehicle official described recurring confusion at the drive‑through window caused by entry direction and recommended clearer signage and a concise list of allowed transactions to prevent payment and processing errors at the window. Staff offered to provide example signage used by neighboring counties.
Commissioners asked for exact transaction counts and estimates for revenue from any per‑transaction surcharge and asked staff to return with recommended language and cost estimates; no final decisions were made at the workshop.
