Vehicles registered in Rutherford County will no longer be required to have a wheel tax sticker, according to County Clerk Lisa Duke Crowell.  The new law takes effect with vehicles whose registration expires January 2014.

“Our County Commission has asked the State Legislature to do away with the need for the sticker,” said Crowell, “they realized the county could save money and do away with an outdated requirement.”  Crowell added that the “wheel tax is still required and will continue to be collected, but citizens no longer have to scrape old decals and apply a new one to their plate.”

According to the County Clerk, the process to change the decal requirement began back in 2011.  Crowell stated, “I approached Mayor Ernest Burgess with the idea and he urged me to pursue this matter with the Commission when he saw the net savings.”  When the County Clerk reported the actual cost of the stickers, and the number of man hours required to prepare the sticker packages, the Commission agreed with the Clerk and saw an opportunity to help citizens and the county budget.  They began deliberations last December to do away with the decal.

The County Clerk added, “We were elated when our State delegation reported the measure had been approved in Nashville.  Actually, the General Assembly thought enough of the proposal that the new state statute has made the change possible for counties statewide.”  The Clerk pointed out the state decal, the one which indicates the expiration year, will still be required.