My auto license tag was due to expire the end of June. I had recently read that the state might discontinue mailing renewal notices to save money, so I investigated Washington’s renewal website, http://www.dol.wa.gov, and learned that first my vehicle required a biennial emissions test.
So last Thursday morning I stopped off at the vehicle inspection station on Northeast 137th Avenue in Vancouver and found no waiting line. Twenty minutes and $15 later, an employee said, “Our computer talks to the state’s computer, so you’re all set.” I headed home.
At home, I pulled up the website, followed the instructions, paid by credit card, requested my new tag be mailed, and printed off a receipt. On Saturday, my new tag and registration card arrived in the mail from the Clark County Auditor’s office.
Only 48 hours had elapsed. Amazing. Often we are critical of services provided us by “government bureaucracy,” especially when a process appears to move at a snail’s pace. I just thought it was equally fair to acknowledge excellent service.
