Published: August 21, 2007 11:44 pm      

ERIE COUNTY NOTEBOOK: County trying to keep DMV money local

Erie County has a new scheme to keep part of the money people spend renewing their car registration in the county.

County residents can currently renew their registration online or through the mail with the state, which is convenient for everyone except the county, which loses up to $1.2 million per year when 100 percent of the money goes to Albany, according to County Clerk Kathy Hochul.

Due to New York State Department of Motor Vehicle restrictions, the county can’t offer residents the ability to renew their registration online from the county clerk’s Web site, www.erie.gov/clerk. To get around this, and keep 12.7 percent of the income generated from renewals in the county, the clerk’s Web site now features a “Just mail it” tab. That tab sends residents to a form where they enter their name and address to get an alternative green envelope sent to their home.

These envelopes are prepaid (the clerk’s office is springing for the stamps to appeal to customers) and allow residents to send their renewals back to the county instead of the state. That will ensure the county gets its cut and save customers the cost of the stamp they would have to put on their state renewal envelope.

The clerk’s Web site will also be offering a poll so that residents can vote on what they would like to see the money put toward. Those ideas will be reviewed by the clerk’s office and then shared with the legislature and county executive if the program takes off, Hochul said.

Residents can also get their money to the county by dropping their renewals off at the DMV or the satellite offices set up in the City of Tonawanda and Town of Tonawanda, but the new option is designed to save people time and money, Hochul said.

Hazardous waste, electronics drop-off

If you’re bored this weekend and happen to have a lot of hazardous waste and/or obsolete electronics lying around, the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning has a road trip suggestion that might be up your alley.

The department will be hosting a drop-off day at the Town of Marilla’s Highway Department, 1883 West Avenue, Marilla.

Highlights for what county residents can bring include up to 20 pounds each of pesticides, fertilizer, chlorine and other poisons; four car tires (off-road vehicle tires need not apply); up to 10 gallons each of oil-based paint, varnish, polyurethane and tar; aerosol paints, lubricants and bug sprays; lead acid automotive batteries; up to 10 gallons each of automotive brake fluid, transmission fluid, gasoline and antifreeze; mercury thermometers; and full or empty propane tanks and cylinders.

As far as electronics go, the department will take computer towers, monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, scanners, TVs, cell phones, rechargeable batteries and fluorescent bulbs.

If you have any other random things that you’d like to haul off, call the county recycling hotline at 858-6996 to see if they’ll accept it.