Court votes down vehicle registration tax

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July 28, 2012

Court votes down vehicle registration tax

By JAMES BRIGHT Herald-Banner Staff The Zope Gazette Sat Jul 28, 2012, 10:20 AM CDT

ROCKWALL — The county commissioners voted down an additional $1.50 tax to motor vehicle registration in their most recent meeting.

Funds generated from the tax would have gone to child safety programs outside of the county.

“This fee would have secured $120,000 from an average of 80,000 vehicle registrations in the county each year,” County Judge Jerry Hogan said.”People not subject to paying property tax will have a chance to help the county.”

Hogan said there are currently close to 40 counties in the state that use this type of tax.

There has been discussion in the court for the last three months over using Hunt County’s facilities for child advocacy.

Precinct Four County Commissioner David Magness said approving this tax would help Hunt’s cash flow problem.

“It’s a great facility,” he said.

Despite praising the Hunt’s facility, Magness said that county’s current use of Collin County’s facility suits Rockwall’s needs. He said Collin County takes care of all Rockwall County’s needs in this area for $200 per case. Given last year’s statistics, Magness said Rockwall only spends $10,000 a year in this area and he could not advocate the tax.

“Basically this is a hidden fee,” Magness said. “This is the type of fee that the Texas Legislature and the United States Congress are used to using, but it doesn’t play well at the county level.”

The motion for the tax failed 4-1 with Hogan voting for.

The court continued viewing weapon options for their battle with pigeons that have invaded the Rockwall County Courthouse and released a barrage of droppings on and around the building.

Premiere Pigeon Control spokesperson Josh Lyles said spikes were the best way to keep the birds from landing and roosting at the top of the buildings. He said the spikes are four inches long, require no maintenance and do not hurt the pigeons, but prevent them from landing.

Electric strips, which the council has also looked at, are expensive and require general maintenance according to Lyles.

Lyle said he plans to have a bid to the court by Monday.

The court approved a $196,144 expenditure for the protection of the County Clerk’s documents.

The motion allows Kofile Preservation to bind and seal all documents, protecting them for at least 400 years.

Hogan said he was not happy with which documents were being protected first.

“The records in the jail (fourth floor of the Historic Courthouse) are in pretty bad shape,” he said.

The motion passed 4-1 with Hogan dissenting.

The commissioners briefly touched on the budget during the meeting as well. Although requests from departments are still being considered by the court, Hogan said a rough draft is in the works.

“My plan is to bring you a balanced budget and then you can do what you want with it,” he said.

The commissioners will meet for their regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 7.

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Court votes down vehicle registration tax

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