Starting next year, Arlington drivers won鈥檛 need to display a car decal on their vehicles for the first time in decades.
The County Board voted unanimously Tuesday to end the requirement that owners of vehicles parked in Arlington use a sticker to prove they鈥檝e paid personal property taxes.
The 鈥渕otor vehicle license fee鈥� associated with the decal, which helps the county pull in about $5 million each year, under the Board鈥檚 plan. But starting July 1, 2019, the county will now rely entirely on to track whether drivers are up to date on their taxes.
鈥淭his is truly the end of an era for Arlington,鈥� County Board Chair Katie Cristol said in a statement. 鈥淭he decal is going the way of the horse-and-buggy.鈥�
The county first began requiring drivers to display a metal tag on license plates all the way back in 1949, moving to a decal system in 1967. Yet, as other localities across the state have increasingly abandoned similar decals, pressure on the county to follow suit mounted.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long time coming,鈥� Board member John Vihstadt said at the meeting Tuesday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not getting rid of the fee, it鈥檚 important to our tax base and enforcement of motor vehicle regulations and so forth. But this will eliminate the nuisance of having a decal.鈥�
County treasurer Carla de la Pava remains confident that Arlington will be able to maintain its low tax delinquency rate even with this change, though it will also mark the end of her office鈥檚 annual design competition for the decal, which featured art from local high school students.
鈥淭he decal competition was a great collaboration between art, teens, and local government, and I am sorry to see it end,鈥� de la Pava said in a statement.
