Some Athens County drivers will have to pay more than usual during their next stop at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for registration or vision screenings.
After a series of cuts since 2002 left the Ohio State Highway Patrol with a potential $11-million gap in the budget, the Ohio Department of Transportation had to find a new way to raise money, Lindsay Komlanc, media relations director for the Ohio Department of Public Safety said.
The fee increases, which include a $20 late registration fee, an extra $1.75 for vision-screening tests, $15 for special license plates and $8 for temporary tags, should fill in the state patrol budget by $100 million a year, she said.
Though Komlac said her department sends deputy registrars information about fee increases and conducts training to improve communication through agencies, Athens County Deputy Registrar Tina Jeffers said state officials had not alerted her of the changes.
Komlac said her department makes every effort to communicate with regional registrars and she doesn't know how a registrar wouldn't be aware of changes.
Regardless of the alleged miscommunication, Jeffers said she thinks the late fee will negatively impact many of her customers.
The $20 late registration fee will impact those who rarely use their vehicles the most, she said.
People who use their vehicles for short periods of time at fairs or special events would usually wait until the event to renew their registrations, and the BMV would offer them a discount. Under new regulations, those drivers will have to register normally or pay an extra $20, Jeffers said.
The $100 million a year from registration fees will keep the Ohio State Highway Patrol from having to make more cuts than they already have, Komlac said. Between 2008 to 2011, the patrol will slash $18.5 million in personnel costs, $187,000 in training costs, among other cuts, Komlac said.
This has been a continuing problem
Komlanc said. We must find a way to make sure that the highway patrol is adequately funded. 1
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Ben White
