ALBANY – As more and more people renew license plates, drivers’ licenses, title transfers and other functions online instead of at their local county clerk’s office, counties in New York State are losing money.
As a result, Dutchess County Clerk Brad Kendall, the president of the State Association of County Clerks, urged state lawmakers to increase the county share of those direct transactions from 12.7 percent to 25 percent. He told the Senate Local Government Committee in Albany on Tuesday that last year, Dutchess took an almost $1 million revenue hit as a result.
“New York State has been very aggressive in providing Internet services for DMV customers, something I fully support, but they have to recognize it has a very negative impact on county revenues,” Kendall said. “Last year alone, Dutchess County lost a potential $900,000 in revenue to Internet transactions.”
The county clerks’ association is asking the state to reexamine the revenue sharing model that has been in place for the last 15 years to recognize the services the county’s provide their customers, often at no fee.
The proposal passed in the Senate last year, but died in the Assembly Transportation Committee.
