Tag Archives: Jefferson County

In case you’re planning to renew your car tag today…

The line outside of the Jefferson County Courthouse, 5.31.2011

The line outside of the Jefferson County Courthouse in downtown Birmingham is quite long this morning, extending deep into Linn Park. It is the last day of the month (and the first since the Jefferson County Commission decided to close satellite offices once again in order to save money), meaning people from throughout the region are making that last ditch effort to pay their tag renewals.

Don’t forget that you can choose to pay your tag renewal fees virtually, though you’ll be paying an online convenience fee of anywhere between $3-30 depending on how you choose to pay – and you won’t necessarily get that tag renewal in time to avoid getting a ticket. There is word though that the county may have extended the deadline for renewing your May tags until June 30, but we’re waiting for confirmation and it’s been confirmed.

Thanks to Jacob Pigott for sharing his photo with us this morning.

Car tags due in Aug. or Sept? You’ve got breathing room

Yes, we’re serious. Today the word came down from the state’s revenue commissioner, Tim Russell, that if your car tags are scheduled to be renewed either this month or in September in Jefferson County that you’ve now got until November to do so, meaning Birmingham residents don’t necessarily have to worry about standing in those long lines at the county courthouse or in Linn Park. The PDF was posted on the state’s revenue site earlier today and applies not only to vehicle registration renewals but property tax payment deadlines.

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JeffCo unveils their new website

newJeffCowebsite

Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Smoot announced the unveiling of the county’s new website earlier today. According to the release, the new website was built entirely in-house by the Program Management Office of the county’s Information Technology department and is the first major upgrade in nearly twenty years. The site is currently under consideration for the Center of Digital Government “Best of the Web” award.

Screenshot: http://jeffconline.jccal.org/

No sales tax holiday from JeffCo this year

This morning the Jefferson County Commission voted 3-1 to opt out of this year’s back to school sales tax holiday, scheduled for August 7-9 (Commissioner Carns was not present for the vote). The commission says that the move would save the county approximately $200,000 and at least seven jobs. The Birmingham News posted a list of cities that will participate in this year’s holiday on Monday; Birmingham has announced that it will be participating this year. The repeal will only affect the collection of the state’s 2% worth of taxes, including the 1% educational tax.

It is interesting to note that yesterday was the deadline to notify whether or not cities or counties in the state would participate. You may also want to check out the list on the state department of revenue website to find out just what items are tax exempt during the holiday.

JeffCo county manager issues moves to forefront

One issue that appears to be high on the priority list for Jefferson County delegation of the Alabama State Legislature as the new session fast approaches is the installation of a county manager to help deal with, well, you know. Both sides appear to be taking the pulse of the community to see what they think.

There is currently a rally planned for tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 9 a.m. by the League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham to show support for the bi-partisan bill being introduced by Rep. Paul DeMarco. This evening (Monday) JeffCo Commissioner Sheila Smoot and Team Seven plan to hold “an important town meeting” to deal with several issues facing the county, including the idea of a county manager, the sewer debt and the recent occupational tax ruling.

Looks like it’s going to be an interesting ride this session.

The Caputo Report has arrived

The Birmingham blogosphere is always growing, and recently we’ve seen some interesting additions to the mix. One of them is The Caputo Report, written by our regional Chamber of Commerce‘s vice president of public policy, Pascal Caputo.

The first official blog from the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce has hit the ground running having just completed a poll about the necessity of a county manager for Jefferson County. The chamber has been supporting this initiative for some time, including a bill introduced in Montgomery earlier this year. It’ll be interesting to see how the Chamber uses this tool in the future.

Artur Davis to hold town hall meeting tonight

U.S. Representative Artur DavisWe’re trying to think of snappy headlines for some of these posts, but there are only so many ways to say certain things… like this one. We could talk about the varying opinions of the Congressman’s constituency. We could try to get you to comment below about the issues that should probably come up during this evening’s meeting. Instead, we’ll just tell you that it’s over at the Jefferson County Courthouse in the County Commission chambers beginning at 6 p.m.