By William C. Singleton III
Journal contributor
Hoover plans to join Vestavia Hills in offering its residents the opportunity to renew car tags within their cities.
The Hoover City Council on May 5 unanimously approved allowing Mayor Gary Ivey to contract with Pelham-based Ingenuity Inc. to establish an office at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium to issue car tag renewals.
According to the proposed contract, Ingenuity will receive 90 percent of commission and fees associated with renewing vehicle tags and the city will receive 10 percent. Residents renewing car tags inside the city will pay $5 more for local service.
Ivey said the Met was selected because it has adequate parking and space to accommodate residents and because the city owns the property.
Ingenuity should be ready to offer the service in June, the mayor said. Although June 1 was given as the start date, Ivey said the SEC Baseball Tournament scheduled May 20-25 at the Met could push the start of the tag renewal service later into June.
The service will only apply to tag renewals. Residents needing new vehicle tags will have to venture to either the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham or the county courthouse in Bessemer.
Offering car tag renewals closer to home is something Hoover residents have been asking for ever since the state legislature made it possible, city officials said.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved a bill that allows Jefferson County cities to renew car tags. The law was designed to give residents an alternative to having to visit either county courthouse and wait in long lines.
“This is a quality of life issue,” Ivey said. “If it’s good for quality of life, then it’s good for Hoover.”
Vestavia Hills began offering car tag renewals at its City Hall April 1.
