Chicago City Clerk Susana A. Mendoza introduced legislation into City Council to begin the first major overhaul of City Vehicle Sticker sales in 100 years. The plan proposed by Clerk Mendoza is year-round sticker sales which will be tied to Illinois license plate vehicle expiration dates. The program will be phased-in.
Clerk Mendoza has been credited for running one of the most efficient city government offices in taking the city sticker sales to the next level and for making government meetings, such as City Council and Committee meetings transparent.
Clerk Mendoza said her office will be taking every opportunity to educate the public about the new Year-Round City Vehicle Sticker Sales Program before drivers are put on their new expiration dates in 2014. The summer 2013 City Vehicle Sticker season will be the last time residents receive a June-to-June sticker renewal.
“This legislation is the start of phase one of the Year-Round Sticker Sales Program, an unprecedented educational outreach effort to every Chicago driver. One aspect of this will be the 1.3 million renewal forms we will send out this spring notifying Chicagoans of the upcoming changes to City Vehicle Sticker sales and how it will impact them,” said Clerk Mendoza.
In 2013, the Clerk’s Office will be asking residents on their renewal forms for their email and VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number.
“This vital information will help us as we upgrade our technological infrastructure and streamline the transition to a new system,” Mendoza said. “The changes coming are big and we are taking the necessary steps now to notify everyone of how they will be affected to ensure this is a smooth transition.”
In 2014 — during the second phase of the transition to Year-Round sales — City vehicle owners will be assigned a new sticker expiration month based on a vehicle’s Illinois State License Plate Registration expiration.
There will be a six-month offset between the expiration of license plate registrations and Vehicle Stickers to help households budget for vehicle costs, Mendoza said.
Senior motorists over the age of 65 will not be affected by these changes and will remain on a June-to-June schedule.
Clerk Mendoza said this historic legislation is aimed at improving customer service.
“This marks the beginning of a transition to a sensible system that will deliver a better customer service experience to the people of Chicago. Seasonal sales are rooted in the horse and buggy era. This is an opportunity to show residents how smart policies and the application of technology make government more efficient. This is a goal I set before I took office and I’m proud to lead this initiative,” she said.
Residents will further benefit from an intergovernmental collaboration with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White who has partnered with us to provide real-time vehicle data. This is an unprecedented intergovernmental cooperation between our two offices and helps ensure all Chicago drivers are notified and in compliance with the wheel tax. Ultimately these changes and intergovernmental cooperation allow Chicago drivers to budget better for vehicle expenses and improve customer service through shorter in person purchase lines and faster mail and online sticker order processing.
Since 1908, millions of Chicagoans purchased stickers during a short, seasonal window. Last year, nearly 1.3 million transactions were completed in about two months.
Each year the Office generates about $115 million in revenue. Costs for City Vehicle Stickers remain unchanged this year, with passenger vehicles stickers costing $85 and large passenger vehicle stickers costing $135.
About City Clerk Susana A. Mendoza
Susana Mendoza was elected Chicago City Clerk in 2011 and is the first woman ever elected to the office. City Clerk Mendoza’s office is responsible for maintaining official City government records, including about 1,000 pieces of legislation at each City Council meeting, distributing approximately 1.3 million vehicle stickers and residential parking permits, issuing City business licenses and licensing all dogs in the City of Chicago. City Clerk Mendoza is committed to improving the City Clerk’s office by making it the most technologically savvy, user-friendly and efficient City Clerk’s office in the country. For more information about the Office, visit www.facebook.com/chicityclerk, www.twitter.com/chicityclerk and www.youtube.com/chicityclerk.
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