Calhoun County starts Web site for tag renewals
By Brandon Tubbs
Star Staff Writer
11-15-2003
Standing in line no longer is an unavoidable part of car tag renewal in Calhoun County. Registrants now can go online to perform the task.
On Oct. 1, Calhoun County became the seventh county in Alabama to start a motor vehicle tag renewal Web site. It also is the first county to accept debit cards over the counter for payment of motor vehicle registration fees and other licensing fees. About 78 renewals were made via the Web site during the first month.
One of the first to use the online renewal option was a Georgia teacher who lives in Ohatchee, according to Calhoun County Commissioner of Licenses Barry Robertson. The teacher had difficulty getting to the office. She called Robertson to thank him for the technology and e-mailed him a smiley face.
“It’s another service that we are able to provide to the citizens of Calhoun County and provides them with another means of renewing their vehicle registration,” Robertson said. “It’s helpful to them.”
Also available online is basic information and frequently asked questions about automobile registration and titling, hunting and fishing license, boat registration, manufactured homes, business and privilege license and driver licenses.
The Web site came with a price tag of $1,693.50, which includes the development cost of the Web site, setup fee, name registration, and a 12-month hosting and maintainer agreement, Robertson said.
The service costs a convenience fee of $3.50 and $2 mailing fee for each tag, in addition to the regular cost of the tag and taxes. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
Calhoun County Commission Chairman Robert Downing applauded Robertson’s work to start the service and feels more can be done.
“I would like to see us do as much as possible online,” Downing said. “It’s a convenient way for the public to transact business. I’m sure department heads are looking at that as technology becomes available.”
The web site is www.calhouncountyal.org