License plate sticker renewals drop after reminders halted

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois Secretary of State's Office says fewer motorists renewed their license plate stickers in November and December, after the office announced it would stop mailing out reminders.

The office said in September it could save $450,000 a month by not mailing the reminders, as the state operates without a budget.

The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald (http://bit.ly/1TCbqEu ) reports license plate sticker renewals fell 19 percent in November compared with November 2014. Roughly 302,000 stickers were renewed in December as of Dec. 28, as opposed to about 475,000 for all of December 2014.

Secretary of State's Office spokesman Dave Druker says stopping the reminders "is not something we wanted to do." Those renewing late are subject to a $20 fee on top of the $101 renewal cost and potential traffic tickets.

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Information from: Daily Herald, http://www.dailyherald.com