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Bay Area News
Here is an Example of Our State and County
Governments at Work
by Eddie Harper
I received this correspondence between the Texas Vehicle Titles and
Registration Division and the County Tax Assessor-Collectors office. When I
read the first part it looked like the VTR is trying to do the right thing
and save some Tax Payer money. It made sense until I read the rebuttal from
Cheryl Johnson’s office where it could
cost them more money. It just goes to show you that the communications
between the different levels of government may need to be fined tuned. I’ll
let you read it and you can make up your own mind.
Registration and Title Bulletin #010-08
TO: All County Tax Assessor-Collectors
SUBJECT: Elimination of Renewal Notice Return Envelope
PURPOSE
To advise that the Vehicle Titles and Registration (VTR) Division will
discontinue enclosing a return envelope with registration renewal notices.
DETAILS
VTR mails an average of 1.6 million vehicle registration renewals monthly.
For many years a return envelope has been enclosed with each registration
renewal notice to facilitate customers renewing their vehicle registration
by mail. A recent analysis of registration renewal data revealed that only
20% of all renewals are mail returns.
Due to such low usage, beginning with the June registration renewal notices,
VTR will no longer include a return envelope with the renewal notices. By
eliminating the return envelope, the department will realize a cost savings
of more than $257,000 through calendar year 2009.
For customer assistance, the mailing information on the registration renewal
notice (upper right) will read: “Mail the bottom part of this form, proof of
insurance and correct fee to your county tax office using the address
provided below.”
COUNTY ACTION
Counties may start to receive mail renewals in a variety of envelope sizes
from customers. Counties that use mail handling equipment should consider
the possible impact this may have on their automated mail sorters.
CONTACT
We appreciate your support and assistance. If you have any questions or need
any additional information, please contact your local VTR Regional Office.
You may also call Mike Craig, Deputy Director, or me at (512) 465-7570.
Thank you.
FROM CHERYL JOHNSON
Dear Ms. Davio,
I read with disbelief Bulletin #010-08 regarding TXDOT’s decision to
eliminate the use of return envelopes when sending out motor vehicle
registration renewal notices. Although I understand the intent is to reduce
your overhead, the additional burden this will place on Tax Offices across
the state far outweighs the savings estimated in the bulletin.
In Galveston County, 80% of the mail received is registration renewals. The
distinctive white window envelope both simplifies the sorting of our mail
and enables the same sized envelopes to be run more efficiently through our
letter opening equipment. We estimate that, at a minimum, the time spent to
sort our mail will double. A lesser impact—but one that should be
considered—is the potential for increased counter renewals occurring which
will place an additional burden on my Customer Service Representatives at
all locations.
Not only is this an unfunded mandate that will adversely affect my staff
and, therefore budget, I fully expect our more than 270,000 vehicle owners
to take issue with your failure to include the convenient envelope. They
will not contact you—they will call us and, once again, Tax Assessor
Collectors will bear the brunt of a decision that was made in the interest
of money rather than in the interest of the customer.
We send return envelopes with our tax statements. The convenience for those
customers that utilize the envelopes far outweighs the minimal amount of
money we spend including them. There is so little we can do “nice” for our
customers—please don’t take away one of the few perks currently offered.
Twenty (20%) percent of 20,902,640 still represents in excess of four (4)
million Texas vehicle owners.
It will surely be my expectation that the Texas Department of Transportation
provide additional fees to my office to compensate us for the additional
burden this decision will place on us.
Cheryl E. Johnson
Galveston County Tax Assessor Collector
409-765-3277
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