Jackson County, Ala., eyeing tag fee

Matthew Hodges

Jason Venable

Dennis Miller

As Jackson County, Ala., swings into the new year, its government is facing a more than $1 million budget deficit that has officials eyeing a couple of new local laws that could cut the deficit and increase revenue streams.

“We’ve got two things that we’re going to be pushing,” County Commission Chairman Matthew Hodges said Tuesday.

The County Commission over the last couple of months passed a resolution for solid waste funds and parks funds to be used in the county general fund and readied it for possible passage by the Alabama Legislature, which is required to enact the resolutions as new local laws.

The commission also passed a resolution for a $5 automobile tag fee to be assessed on every vehicle county residents own, but the fee first must go before Jackson County voters to be enacted.

If they’re made local law, the two measures could cut the deficit by about 60 percent, Hodges said.