Mount Prospect to sell vehicle stickers online
Mount Prospect residents will have the option of paying for their vehicle stickers online in 2012.
This week, Finance Director David Erb said the village expects to contract with Third Millennium Associates, a third-party vendor that the village already uses to mail vehicle stickers and utility bills.
Erb said the company will provide the software to manage the online system, as well as process the online orders and orders from the village’s post office lockbox.
The current system can be a headache for residents standing in long lines, as well as for village employees who are taken away from other duties to concentrate on the vehicle licenses.
“This is a very intense process of bringing in the monies for the vehicle licenses,” Erb told trustees this week. “We have a short period of time where applications are submitted and processed,” with 80 percent of the applications coming in during only one-fifth of a year.
Among the advantages outlined by Erb was 24/7 availability to purchase or check on the status of stickers without having to visit village hall. Data would be available in real time, he said.
The cost of the system would be partially offset by funds within the budget. Costs would include $4,995 for the cost of purchasing the software and $1,490 annually to maintain it, as well as $11,770 for Third Millennium to handle the processing.
He said the village already spends about $250,000 to bring in the $1.4 million in revenue from the stickers. That cost includes temporary staff and overtime.
Erb estimated 45 percent of the stickers could be processed by the third-party vendor.
He said the system could go live by Feb. 1. The cost for a sticker will remain $36 in 2012.
Erb’s presentation was well received by trustees.
“I think this is an excellent opportunity,” said Trustee Michael Zadel.
“This is how you reduce the cost of government,” said Trustee Steven Polit.
Trustee John Matuszak even suggested maybe the residents could have the option of the village automatically charging the credit card or checking account each year to avoid late fees.