By Lee Weyhrich
CLAY — The city of Clay will begin offering residents the option of buying vehicle tags at Clay City Hall on Aug. 1, it was announced at Monday’s Clay City Council meeting.
Only Clay residents will be able to buy a tag in the city. Tag renewals and online sales within city borders will all be routed through Clay City Hall at 2441 Old Springville Road. Online sales will mail out from Clay City Hall.
Each transaction should take roughly eight minutes, based on numbers from Vestavia Hills, which began selling vehicle tags April 1, City Manager Ronnie Dixon said. Each sale would earn the city $5, and Dixon believes the city will not have to hire additional employees.
“I think this is going to be a good thing for everyone,” Clay Mayor Charles Webster said. “Other cities that do it have been very successful.”
Rep. Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood, said earlier this year that Gov. Robert Bentley had signed into law HB 112, which authorizes Jefferson County cities to issue car tags.
The city of Trussville earlier this year sent three employees to Montgomery for three days for training with the Alabama Department of Revenue, to learn to use the department’s programs and expectations with issuing vehicle tags. There is no set date on when Trussville may implement the program at Trussville City Hall.
Trussville City Councilman Brian Plant has said that if issuing car tags from Trussville City Hall is “practical,” then it’s something Trussville residents will want offered. One of the questions on a survey mailed to more than 8,000 Trussville addresses in November by Mayor Gene Melton asked if residents would renew vehicle tags at Trussville City Hall if allowed to do so. Of 1,048 responses to the question, 985 said they’d favor the renewal process at Trussville City Hall. Just 63 said they would not favor it.
Pinson will likely not consider issuing car tags at Pinson City Hall at this time.
Gary Lloyd contributed to this story.