Pittsylvania County supervisor wants stop fees increased

By: John Crane | GoDanRiver
Published: June 20, 2010

A Pittsylvania County supervisor wants to raise the fee the county treasurer charges to lift stops put on vehicle registrations of residents who don’t pay their vehicle license fees and personal property taxes.

Staunton River Supervisor Marshall Ecker wants to bump the fee up from $25 to $30, the highest amount allowed by state law. Ecker wants to penalize residents who game the system by continually paying their taxes and fees late.

“I feel that some of the citizens are taking advantage of the way we do business,” Ecker said. “They postpone paying their vehicle fees.”

The proposal will be on the Board of Supervisors’ next meeting in July, Ecker said.

County residents are billed twice a year for personal property taxes on their vehicles and once a year for vehicle license fees. Some pay their personal property taxes all at once.

The county treasurer’s office blocks Division of Motor Vehicles registration renewals of residents who have not paid their vehicle license fees and/or personal property taxes. Those residents must pay extra fees for the treasurer to lift the registration stops when they pay their taxes and license. The office collects two fees — a $25 administrative fee and a $20 DMV fee.

County Treasurer Teresa Easley said the increase would not pose a problem for her office. However, she has mixed feelings about raising the fee.

When Easley became treasurer in November 2008, the recession had hit and people lost jobs. She would allow some residents who were late paying their fees and taxes to give her office half of what they owed up front so they could get tags on their cars. They would agree to pay off the balance monthly, she said.

However, some took advantage of the agreement, paying just enough up front to renew their registration and never paying the rest of what they owed, Easley said. She stopped allowing the agreements after a few months, she said.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Hank Davis said he supports raising the fee to lift the registration renewal stops.