By Erin Smith
The Bladen County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation regarding North Carolina’s Tax and Tag program. The presentation was made by Bladen County Tax Administrator Renee Davis and Tina Stone, manager for the Motor Vehicle and Personal Property for Local Government and the NC Department of Revenue.
Davis explained to the board the Tax and Tag program began in 2013. She said the goal was to incorporate vehicle registration, fees and taxes into one notice. It was designed to help increase the collection rates for motor vehicle taxes and is also a convenient way for residents to pay, said Davis.
Davis explained how the program works. She said the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles STARS unit will upload records for those residents needing to renew their tags each month. Davis explained the NC DMV STARS will also create what is called a “cue” each month of addresses that need to be checked. She said her staff will take the “cues” and make the necessary corrections so the taxes will be billed correctly.
Davis explained that a cue can be generated for a number of reasons from addresses that do not match the 911 address to antique or classic cars. She said her staff will work through each cue making the necessary corrections.
Davis explained, once the cues are corrected, the upload is then sent to NC DMV for the renewal notice to be generated and mailed.
Davis said if a resident receives their renewal notice and disagrees with the assessed value of their vehicle, they should contact the Bladen County Tax Office. She said if you disagree with the address shown on the notice, residents should contact the NC DMV.
Davis said this applies to renewal notices. Where Bladen County residents are encountering problems with the Tax and Tag program is when they purchase the vehicle and go to purchase their vehicle tag for the first time. Davis said her staff do not see any of that information until it is time to renew the vehicle tag for the first time.
Stone explained to the board that when a resident goes to purchase a vehicle, the dealership is using the STARS system at NC DMV. The dealership will enter into the system the address given to them by the purchaser. Stone said their can be variations in how the dealership may abbreviate an address or where they insert a comma. Stone explained these variations can cause the system to generate a “cue” and place the address in a “default district” which for Bladen County residents the default district is Elizabethtown.
“It (STARS) has to have a district to calculate (taxes) in,” said Stone.
Stone explained that when Tax and Tag was launched, state officials knew there would be some problems with the system.
Barbara Tatum of White Oak, who addressed the board regarding the matter at the April 3rd meeting, said, “We’re being inconvenienced.”
She noted that this is “a big problem” and has been going on for several years.
Tatum also pointed out that if a resident notices they paid taxes in the incorrect district, they must request that the taxes be refunded, otherwise, they will not receive a reimbursement.
Davis told the board that her staff have been diligently creating “aliases” to help the system to “see” into which tax district a particular address should placed. Davis explained the “aliases” contain things like abbreviations, spellings and numbers for street names, street names which should be one word or two words, and so on. She said the number of “cues” being generated has steadily declined over the past few years as her staff have worked diligently to create the aliases necessary for the system.
Commissioner Charles Ray Peterson said, “It appears it is very complicated.”
Davis said her staff are attempting to try to generate a report to determine if any residents have paid in the default district that should not have done so.
In other business:
*The Commissioners recognized Becky Spearman who has been named as the new Director of Bladen County Cooperative 
Extension.
*The board voted to award the bid for stream debris removal on the Black River in Bladen County to Safe Environmental Clean Up.
*The Commissioners rejected a $500 bid by Myron Strickland on a county-owned property on NC 242 and approved a bid of $8,150 submitted by Antonio and Curtis Smith on a second county-owned parcel located at Braddy Plantation Road.
*The Commissioners approved an agreement between BladenCounty Health Department and Bladen Medical Associates to provide equipment sterilization services for the health department.
*The Commissioners conducted a public hearing for a rezoning request on a six acre parcel owned by Earl Sykes Jr. The property will be rezoned from residential-agricultural to commercial for an office and shop.
*William Whitley, a candidate for Bladen County Commissioner, addressed the board about concerns with GenX. He stated that people in his community needed information about the issue and had not been contacted by anyone. Commissioner Chairman Ray Britt spoke and explained to Whitley there have been meetings conducted at Bladen Community College and in the Gray’s Creek area by state officials. He noted that there is an ongoing investigation into the matter by state officials and the Bladen County Board of Commissioners cannot interfere with the investigation. Commissioner Michael Cogdell offered Whitley a business card for a state official and told him she would be glad to meet with his church or community group to update them on the situation.
About Author
