The Carroll County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing June 8 for an ordinance to eliminate county auto decals. If passed, the county would still collect the $25 fee as part of personal property taxes, but the license year would change.

Assistant County Administrator Nikki Shank said she met as a group with the county’s treasurer, commissioner of the revenue and financial management director to discuss the proposed change, especially since it would significantly impact the offices of the treasurer and commissioner of the revenue. Shank said the group agreed they wanted to keep the same fee, but to change the license year and bill the auto decal fee to personal property taxes.

County Attorney Jim Cornwell said it’s important to note that the county is not increasing the rate or changing the basic structure. However, it is bound by the Code of Virginia to a vehicle license tax fee. Many jurisdictions are doing away with physical auto decals, which Cornwell recommended Carroll County do as well.

“People don’t like them. You put them on and take them off. It gets confusing sometimes,” Cornwell said. “We’ve also found in many jurisdictions the best way to enforce this fee is through the Department of Motor Vehicles. We have tried not to reinvent the wheel, but to find out what other jurisdictions have done to simplify it for citizens, taxpayers and staff.”

The county plan would allow it to tax motor vehicles, semi trailers, motorcycles and tractor trucks at the same rate. If someone moves into the county, they are supposed to notify the county so they can go on the tax rolls, Cornwell said. If a person buys or sells a car, they are supposed to notify the DMV.

While the license fees are currently due on April 15 of each year, the proposed ordinance would change the license fee year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 beginning Jan. 1, 2010. The fee would be due Dec. 5 of the preceding year, meaning citizens would be paying in advance, just as they do now.

“That is why the reporting issue becomes important because on December 5, 2009, the vehicles you own will be shown you own on Jan. 1, 2009, but you will paying the fee for 2010,” Cornwell said. “That is why the reporting issue becomes important because if you sell a vehicle in December of 2009 and trade it for another vehicle, you need to make sure that is reported so you do get your vehicle being paid for that next year.”

Car owners who have already paid the fee and trade the vehicle for another will not be charged a second time that year, Cornwell said.

“All you have to do is report it,” he said. “We are not going to double you.”

The county would not prorate fees, however.

“If you buy a vehicle in March, you would owe for the whole year, just like you do right now,” Cornwell said.

Car owners will be required to pay their personal property taxes before they can pay the license fee. If a person fails to pay personal property taxes, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles would block that person from renewing tags, renewing their driver’s license, etc., Cornwell said.

There are exemptions, Cornwell said, as volunteer rescue squads and volunteer fire departments won’t have to pay for their vehicles. Active volunteer rescue squad members and active volunteer fire department members will have be able to exempt one vehicle from the charge. Disabled veterans and prisoners of war are also exempt.

The board unanimously voted to approve a public hearing on the ordinance to be held at 5:30 p.m. at June 8 in the meeting room at the Carroll County Governmental Complex.