“I always thought one’s car lost value from the time it left the dealer,” a frustrated resident told us in an email. “Not sure how widespread this is, but it’s creating buzz in our neighborhood.”
Actually, it’s fairly widespread. Arlington County bases its vehicle assessments on the National Automobile Dealers Association’s yearly list of vehicle values, which comes out every January 1. This year, the values of many used SUVs, crossover vehicles, trucks and vans went up.
The printer problem wasn’t confined to Arlington. The same printing company is used by at least one other local jurisdiction, we’re told.
In Arlington, the decals must be displayed by November 15, which will give drivers plenty of time. But meeting the October 5 deadline for paying the tax may be more problematic.
Appropriately, considering this winter’s historic snowfall, the design features a snow-covered bridge over the W&OD trail.
The winner was chosen from a pool of 19 designs submitted by local high school students. It will soon be featured on the 155,000 vehicles garaged in Arlington.
