Elliott Davis and Megan Mueller
49 minutes ago
ST. LOUIS – Mayor Tishaura Jones is receiving backlash for a new program that provides loans to drivers with expired temporary tags. Some members of the City Council are particularly unenthusiastic about the idea.
“You're taking money from people who pay taxes and giving it to people who can't pay taxes,” Joe Vollmer said. “How are we going to implement this? Who is going to pay for that implementation? If people don't want to pay, what are they going to do next? We need bullets in the guns. The city needs bullets. Will they provide it? I don't know what will happen next.”
But other board members, including Racine Aldridge, agree with the mayor's plan.
“I think this is a good start…Life is tough. Some may say, 'If you can't afford a car, why did you go buy one?' If you have children, rent, food and groceries are expensive, plus you have to buy a car to get to and from work,” he said. “I think this is a great way to not just criminalize people. Give them a second chance… It's not like they don't have to pay taxes, it's just extended.”
The New York Times recently profiled the approach the city of St. Charles is taking to combat this problem, specifically by taking photos of expired tags that citizens see and sending them to the city.
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“(The program) is going very well. More than 4,615 people have been sent, but they are still coming in little by little… After reading the article, it seems like there is an epidemic spreading throughout the country. And people are looking for ways to solve it.'' I think Chief Jensen and I were lucky with the photo, and it worked out pretty well,'' Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said.
Mayor Tishaura Jones' office released the following statement regarding the program:
This week, the City of St. Louis announced a request for proposals (RFP) to help create and implement a program to reduce the prevalence of expired temporary tags and uninsured drivers in the city. The purpose of the RFP is to invite groups to submit proposals to the City to be considered as implementation partners for this upcoming initiative.
For years, the city of St. Louis has experienced a large number of drivers driving cars with expired temporary tags. This problem has especially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, when states have waived certain vehicle registration requirements. Last year, the state passed a new law allowing dealers to collect sales tax on purchases, but the law is not expected to go into effect for several years.
The prevalence of expired temporary tags has a negative impact on the city, drivers, and all residents. If an individual does not pay taxes on a car, the car is likely unregistered and uninsured. Uninsured drivers are a problem for everyone on the road. When an accident is caused by an uninsured driver, medical bills and car repair costs are often not covered or not covered in full. Also, uninsured motorists often drive up premiums even more for motorists who have auto insurance (there have been several reports of this locally in recent years).
In addition to SLMPD's increasing focus on traffic enforcement, the city is considering supplementing this targeting with supplemental methods. The purpose of this upcoming program is to ensure that drivers with expired temporary tags are properly compliant with the law and remain compliant and insured.
Future programs envision partnering with community organizations with experience in financial intervention lending to enroll participants in loan repayment programs. The program is designed to help participants who cannot afford to prepay the full amount of their unpaid taxes become tax compliant through more manageable monthly payments. We also require participants to participate in regular and ongoing financial counseling throughout the repayment period to help participants become more financially literate, move forward competently and steadily, and become responsible drivers in the long term. We also plan to maximize the capabilities of
Bringing non-compliant drivers into compliance and meeting their financial and insurance obligations creates more insured drivers and benefits the entire community. As the increasing cost of daily living continues to impact individuals and families, and road safety continues to capture the attention of residents and city governments, the aim is to eliminate the regrets that the use of expired temporary tags causes not only to motorists. The aim is to reduce the practical negative effects. Not only do you use them, they also apply to insurance premiums for other drivers and our community.
This is in the RFP stage, so this program doesn't exist yet and won't for many months to come. Numerous discussions will take place between the City and prospective and actual implementation partners over the coming months to best position this upcoming program as an effective adjunct to ongoing traffic enforcement efforts. is. Traffic enforcement activity will continue to increase in the City, and the City will continue to implement a variety of strategies to make our streets safer for everyone.
Mayor Tishaura Jones Office
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