The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countless changes in the way business is conducted in all kinds of ways, and the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office is no exception.
The office recently implemented a new program that allows automobile franchise dealerships to process their own vehicle title registrations on the cars and trucks they sell.
County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre Jr. said the pandemic “had made our office think outside the box” in finding ways to handle this type of business outside the office, which is using a program called the Web Dealer System that allows franchise dealerships — once their employees have been deputized as Deputy Tax Assessor-Collectors by Yzaguirre — to take care of all title and registration paperwork in-house.
“We have encouraged our taxpayers to pay their property taxes online, through the mail and/or use our drive-through lanes at our offices,” he said. “Because of the pandemic, which continues to be a problem countywide, we have encouraged our customers to use our various methods to take care of their county services.”
What it means for car and truck buyers at participating dealerships is that their new vehicle has current registration and plates when they drive it off the lot, with the fees to the county paid via electronic check and collected at the point of sale.
Yzaguirre said 34 dealerships — 15 in Cameron County — had signed up to use the Web Dealer System so far and nine more are requesting the service. The most recent dealership to sign up was Luke Fruia Motors of Brownsville, he said. John Edge, the dealership’s general manager, said the new system saves the company time and money by eliminating the need to send its employees to the tax office.
“This is a win-win overall program for everyone using this method,” he said.
Yzaguirre said his office plans to make the Web Dealer System available to dealers of pre-owned vehicles as well.
“As we expand our operations with dealerships in Cameron County, we will be looking at ways how to service used-car dealerships within Cameron County in the near future,” he said.
