County to scrap auto decals

By Jane DeGeorge
Eagle Reporter
Published: May 29, 2008

Next spring, Madison County drivers will scrape off county auto decals from their car windows for the last time. Officials recently announced that they will stop using the county stickers this coming year. 

Although the physical county decal stickers will no longer be used, residents will still be billed a fee for their automobiles, motorcycles and trailers. These charges – which the supervisors recently voted to increase for the coming year – will be included in residents’ personal property and real estate tax bills, according to Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman Eddie Dean.

The costs of county vehicle fees for the coming year are:

• $30 for automobiles (including vans and sport utility vehicles), trucks and motor homes (an increase from $25).

• $15 for motorcycles (an increase from $10).

• $10 for both travel and utility trailers (an increase from $7.50).

The increases will result in an additional $40,000 income for the supervisors during the coming fiscal year, Dean said at the supervisors May 20 joint budget workshop with the Madison County School Board.

County car decals serve a few purposes for officials, including identifying residents in order to use the transfer station.

The supervisors chairman has also previously mentioned the use of decals as method of regulating payment of taxes. If a resident goes into the treasurer’s office to purchase a decal and their personal property taxes are not current, the individual is prohibited from purchasing a new decal, he has said.

County officials have not yet discussed details regarding how these issues would be dealt with once the decals are discontinued, the supervisors chairman said.

Officials first discussed eliminating the use of decals to save the county the cost of mailing them out and save people the inconvenience of having to get the decals. Dean has said it is something Madison County residents have requested.

The town of Madison does not have any plans at this time to increase the price of its auto decals or eliminate the use of the stickers, according to Town Clerk Barbara Roach.