MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG)– As many drivers complain about waiting in long lines to get new Tennessee license plates, the state is giving you a small break on registration fees.
Tennessee is waiving the state vehicle registration fees for a year starting this month.
“It is a welcome discount for the customers. Even though it’s a one-time fee, at least the state recognizes that so much has been happening over the last two years,” said Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
The waived fees will be for Class-A vehicles, which include motorcycles, and Class-B vehicles, which include passenger motor vehicles and motor homes. The state portion of the fee that is waived is $16.75 for Class A and $23.75 for Class B.
This will last until June 30th of next year.
State Representative Mark White of Memphis calls this a short-term fix.
“This would be a last option for me. I think we need to get to the source of why because quite honestly I talk to the rest of the state and it’s not happening in the other 94 counties,” White said.
County Commissioner Van Turner said help is on the way.
“We’ve allocated additional resources to Clerk Halbert to make sure she has enough postage and other things, personnel, and other things she may need,” he said.
Halbert said progress is being made.
“I think last week alone, we got more than 20, 22,000 plates out. We are still doing a catchup,” she said.
Last month, Halbert told county commissioners an audit revealed a “host of gaps” regarding records she says reveal problems dating back before she was in office. She said her team is taking corrective actions.
County Clerk Halbert said her office is working on a plan to reduce the long lines by creating an appointment process.