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Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

HOOVER, Alabama - The Jefferson County vehicle tag renewal office at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium will become a full-service satellite courthouse on Nov. 3, Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey and Jefferson County Commissioner Jimmie Stephens announced tonight.

The county office at the Hoover Met, which now handles only vehicle tag renewals, will be able to handle all the same revenue functions of the other courthouse locations, except for driver's licenses, Ivey said.

That will include processing new vehicle tags, boating licenses, motorcycle licenses and vehicle title applications, Stephens said. Now, all of those functions must be handled at either the Jefferson County Courthouse in downtown Birmingham or the satellite offices in Bessemer and Center Point.

"I know this is going to be a great thing for the people of this part of the county," Stephens said.

When and if the county is able to buy additional cameras for driver's license photos and find a permanent home for the Hoover satellite office, driver's licenses also will be issued in Hoover, he said.

"Those cameras are expensive," he said. There also is limited space at the Hoover Met, so a more permanent office with more space is needed in Hoover, he said.

The temporary office at the Hoover Met opened in August and handles about 10 percent of the county's revenue office transactions, just with renewals, Stephens said.

The former satellite office on Green Springs Highway in Homewood handled 28 percent of the county's revenue office transactions, and "we're looking for our Hoover satellite to actually do more," Stephens said. "We're looking for this particular satellite to be one of our busiest."

Being able to process vehicle title applications in Hoover will be a big bonus because of all the car dealerships in Hoover, he said.

It's a quality of life issue, Stephens said. The Hoover satellite office will help relieve the other revenue offices and will be much closer for people who live in this part of the county, he said.

Now that the county has exited bankruptcy, the leaks have been plugged and county officials are working to turn the county ship around, he said.

Regarding the Hoover satellite office, "Hoover has stepped up and worked with us to make sure this happens," Stephens said. "It's been a cooperative effort."

The Hoover satellite office serves all residents of Jefferson County, not just Hoover residents.

Here's an audio recording of tonight's Hoover City Council meeting, taped by Hoover resident Dan Fulton.

See the memorandum of understanding approved by the Hoover City Council and Jefferson County Commission in June.

See more news from Hoover at www.al.com/hoover