Temporary car tag renewal service coming to Met
The Hoover City Council on June 16 voted to enter an agreement with Jefferson County to establish a temporary car tag renewal service for all county residents at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
The agreement will allow Jefferson County employees to use the Met’s ticket windows to renew car tags until the county and city can find a permanent site for a courthouse annex.
The council’s 5-0 vote will allow Mayor Gary Ivey to enter into a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the city’s park and recreation board – which owns the Met - and the county to establish the car tag renewal service. Ivey did not attend Monday’s meeting.
The agreement states that the service will start Aug. 1 and will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The county will also have to work with the city’s parks and recreation board to accommodate events at the Met.
Council President Jack Wright said the Met is an ideal place for the temporary office because it offers nearly 3,400 free parking spaces.
“Any time you can bring the courthouse closer to the citizens, you’re accomplishing the right thing,” he said. “If I was going to stand in line, I’d rather be standing on Highway 31 than downtown with my car parked at a meter.”
AT&T’s needs to run fiber optic lines to the Met to connect the office with the county’s and state’s computer network pushed back the opening for a few months, Wright said.
In May, the Hoover City Council authorized Ivey to enter a contract with Pelham-based Ingenuity Inc. to handle vehicle tag renewals for only Hoover residents. But the city’s decision to expand its services to all county residents means it will not pursue a contract with Ingenuity, Wright said.
Hoover’s goal is to offer more than tag renewals but new licenses for cars, boats and motorcycles. Residents currently needing new licenses will have to visit the county courthouse in Birmingham or Bessemer or the Center Point annex. “Our goal is to have a full-fledge courthouse operation in Hoover,” Wright said. “We’re hoping to have that operation certainly by the first of the year.
In other actions, the council:
- Withdrew a resolution for the abatement of weeds and grass at 2201 Marion Street. The grass had been cut so the resolution was no longer needed, city officials said.
- Declared videoscope inspection equipment used by the police department as surplus. The equipment will be traded for newer equipment.
- Voted to deduct $32,672 from the Chapel Lane Extension project. The project’s phase 2 came under cost.
- Set a public hearing for July 21 at 6 p.m. for two rezoning cases, including one that involves a request for conditional use to allow a shopping center in C-2 Community Business District zoning in The Shoppes of Hoover at 5190 Medford Drive. Jeff Pepe, representing Hoover Investment Partners, LLC, is requesting the rezoning.