By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – Because the city of Green Bay is in the process of enacting a wheel tax that would be tacked on to the vehicle registration fee starting the first of next year, officials in the village of Ashwaubenon, where the tax wouldn’t apply, are getting the word out to residents to check with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as to the municipality where their vehicles are listed as being kept.
Village Manager Allison Swanson said the village’s website, Ashwaubenon.com, has a link to the DOT’s website related to where vehicles are kept.
“Essentially, you can confirm where your vehicles are located,” Swanson said. “If you have multiple vehicles registered to the same person, it should all show up. Not all your vehicles may be registered the same, so you do have to verify (them).”
As noted on the village’s website, upon accessing the link to the DOT website there will be a Wisconsin license plate that says “Start Now” to click on.
After entering the requested personal identification information, the website will then state the vehicle owner’s address on file with the DOT.
There is a box to check to be able to “set all vehicles to this location” with boxes that show the county and community.
Below that is the current information on file.
The village’s website further notes the information for Ashwaubenon residents would be correct if it says “Ashwaubenon (v).”
“But if it says ‘Green Bay (c),’ that means it’s registered in the city of Green Bay by virtue of your zip code, or whatever you used to enter it, and that’s how the wheel tax would be imposed,” Swanson said.
Unlike what may be the case for other municipalities that surround Green Bay, Village President Mary Kardoskee said Ashwaubenon can be used as an address for residents in the village.
“You can use Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, for any of your address stuff,” Kardoskee said.
Public Works Director Doug Martin said information related to village residents updating or verifying vehicle registration to avoid paying a wheel tax could be included including in the water bill to be sent out in the end of August.
Howard Village Administrator Paul Evert, who brought the matter to Swanson’s attention on how to correct on the DOT website where a vehicle is kept, noted Howard will be notifying residents in that village about the issue in an e-notify newsletter.
The direct link to the DOT’s website where information on where a vehicle is kept may be updated or verified is at: wisconsindot.gov/Pages/online-srvcs/other-servs/vki.aspx