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By JOYANNA LOVE |Managing Editor

I recently interviewed leadership of the Chilton County Tag Division about software upgrades that have come to the department.

Long lines when registering or renewing a vehicle have become the subject of many jokes throughout the country. So much so that Disney had its DMV in “Zootopia” manned by sloths.  However, my personal experience with wait times at the Chilton County tag office were nothing compared to what I have experienced other places, even before the updated system.

When I first got my license, the county I was in had the driver’s license division and the tag division in the same building. A screen posted what number they were serving. It seemed like ages before it was time for me to be helped. (It was also more expensive to register a vehicle there because you had to buy a front license plate and pay for multiple years at once.)

Locally, I have found the shortest wait ever was when I could go around 2 in the afternoon.

Technology is often seen as a way to make things more efficient, and this is certainly true for the tag office based on comments from tag office leaders.

Renewing one’s vehicle registration can be one of those things that sneak up on a person, so the email renewal reminders that are being worked on sound like a helpful thing to me. It seems like this would be a good option if someone’s address changes because the bill might not get forwarded, but their email address would likely stay the same.

It was interesting to talk to Tim Little and Angela Fulmer about just how long they have wanted to upgrade the system and now finally being able to. All the options that are becoming available will likely create excitement in the department and in the community.