SCARBOROUGH — Beginning Oct. 1, Scarborough will process new
boat registrations for non-residents on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, a decision
that may prove burdensome for people who live in neighboring South Portland,
because their city will not process that paperwork.
Residents of South Portland and other
surrounding communities must pay the excise tax on new boats in their own municipality
and then travel to Scarborough, which, as an agent for the state, processes the
actual registration.
However, Scarborough collects just $2 per
registration as its agent fee. That, says Scarborough Deputy Tax Collector
Wendy Frazier, does not come close to compensating the town for the processing
time – roughly 12.5 minutes per application.
From May 2 to Aug. 13, Scarborough’s collections
department tracked services provided to non-residents on behalf of the
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. During that time, 115
non-residents filed registration paperwork for recreational vehicles. Of these,
106 were from South Portland, five from Portland, and one each from Saco, Old
Orchard Beach, Biddeford and Westbrook.
Workers in the Scarborough collections office
spent 23.9 hours helping the registrants and processing their paperwork. At an
average office salary of $20.60, said Frazier, that work cost Scarborough
taxpayers $492.54. However, the town was able to collect just $234 in agent
fees.
South Portland Finance Director Greg L’Heureux
says his city worked out that math a long time ago.
“Several years ago, South Portland evaluated if we
should get approval to process new boat registrations for the state,” he said,
via email on Monday. “At that time there were a number of other options
available for residents to process new boat registrations. The $2 fee clearly
doesn’t cover the staff time to process the paperwork and our staffing was
limited, so, it was decided that this service would not be provided.”
For Scarborough Town Manager Tom Hall, the
problem is less about the cost to the town than the inconvenience to
Scarborough residents.
“I’m concerned about customer service,” he said
at an Aug. 21 meeting of the Town Council Finance Committee. “At certain times
of the year, there can be long lines in the collection office. We’re always
looking for ways to serve out residents better, and our staff is getting,
certainly, not bigger.”
By limiting services for non-residents to the
days Frazier says are slowest, Hall hoped to limit waiting times for local
taxpayers. The finance committee unanimously endorsed the new hours of
operation.
L’Heureux called that decision “unfortunate,” adding
that it would affect roughly 50-75 South Portland residents annually. That’s because Scarborough remains the closest registration option
for the city’s new boat owners.
“Once a boat is registered the first time, the
resident can process renewals online or at City Hall,” said L’Heireux. “At this
time we are not considering processing new registrations.
“Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is responsible for
registrations and should establish a more efficient method of processing new
registrations that does not burden residents and municipalities,” said
L’Heureux.
Judy Roy, chairwoman of the Scarborough Finance
Committee, said limiting service to non-residents may only be a stop-gap
measure. If long lines and high costs persist, she said, the town may surrender
its status as a state agent.
“At that point we let Cabela’s take care of it,”
she said.
That comment at the Aug. 21 committee meeting
was made in the belief the outdoor retailer also processes boat registrations.
However, on Monday, a customer service representative for the store said they
do not process registrations, either for new applications or renewals.
L’Heureux, however, said it would be a great
idea for them to start.
“Boat dealerships, marinas, and outdoor retail stores
like Cabela’s and L.L. Bean would be a good place to initiate the state boat
registration process,” he said.
Inland Fisheries spokesman Doug Rafferty did not
return a call requesting comment.
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