Constable sets sights on scofflaws

Motorists with out-of-state plates who live in Las Vegas Township, you have been warned.

Beginning Aug. 25, deputies from the constable's office will investigate complaints and issue citations to residents who fail to register their vehicles.

"We are not going to be pulling cars over because you have out-of-state plates," said Constable Robert "Bobby G" Gronauer. "That creates a big problem because you have a tourist industry where cars come and go constantly. We're talking about people who live in our neighborhoods."

Instead, the constable's office will investigate complaints coming into a new hot line established as part of the "Pay Your Fair Share" program, which was announced Monday by Gronauer.

Residents can call 702-455-FAIR (455-3247) to report suspected violators. The license plate number, make and model, vehicle color and its location are key pieces of information needed, Gronauer said.

New residents are required by state law to obtain their driver's license within 30 days and to register their vehicle within 60 days.

Jack Albright, who was updating his vehicle registration at the DMV office on West Flamingo on Monday afternoon, said he learned that lesson the hard way.

Albright, 32, said he was pulled over two years ago and issued $600 in tickets for failing to change his Ohio driver's license and registration. He said police told him his 2000 Ford ZX2 stood out from traffic with its Ohio plates, and that's why they pulled him over.

"I didn't know I had to reregister," Albright said. "I just assumed that when my plates expired I could transfer everything over here."

Albright said he thought it was unfair to "pay something twice."

"That's essentially what you're doing," he said. "If I renew my stuff in Ohio and move out here a month later and have to update everything again, that's kind of like double dipping. It's unfair to have to pay for something until it's expired."

About 2,000 drivers per month fail to register their vehicles in Nevada, according to DMV figures. At the West Flamingo branch, the state's largest DMV office, about 200 to 300 out-of-state drivers switch their plates over daily, said Ralph Belis, operations coordinator.

"People don't like it. They think we're more expensive than a lot of other states," he said. "Thirty-three dollars is the basic registration in the state. The rest is county taxes, which goes to roads and schools."

Belis added that registration fees are calculated by the manufacturer's suggested retail price, which depreciates as the vehicle gets older.

"But the state sees very little of that," he said.

It is unclear exactly how much money is lost statewide from drivers who aren't switching their registration. But Edgar Roberts, Department of Motor Vehicles director, said it's losing "thousands of dollars" that would used for schools and county projects.

The program is expected to help keep track of that number, Roberts added.

"There are people who live in our state, sending their kids to our schools, that are not obtaining a Nevada registration," Roberts said.

Residents who violate vehicle registration laws in the township, which includes the city of Las Vegas and much of unincorporated Clark County including Indian Springs and Mount Charleston, face a maximum $1,000 fine plus a $100 constable fee.

A judge can reduce the fine to $200 if violators can show proof of registration of their vehicles at the time of their hearings. The $100 constable fee must be paid before the vehicle can be registered at the DMV.

Contact Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.