As more services become available online and as appointments aim to help reduce wait times at facilities, could Illinois drivers eventually see reduced fees?
According to Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the modernization project he’s helped spearhead in the office ultimately has the goal of better serving Illinois residents, but reduced fees are also part of the goal he’s articulated since taking charge in 2023.
“I feel confident it will happen,” he said of reduced fees during a conversation with NBC Chicago’s Kye Martin this week.
Giannoulias’ office has introduced numerous changes since he assumed the role of Secretary of State, including allowing drivers to set appointments for a variety of services and expanding the availability of online resources to allow motorists to renew their licenses, change addresses, apply for vanity plates and more.
During the interview, Giannoulias said that the short-term focus was to improve efficiency, but in the long term, reduced fees for plates, licenses and other services could occur.
“The point of modernization isn’t just to increase efficiencies and reduce the time tax, but as we build this new technology into every department in the Secretary of State’s Office, our goal is to create efficiencies and economies of scale that can ultimately bring down costs of all services. I don’t have a date for that, but that is our end goal,” he said.
The cost of renewing license plates on passenger vehicles has risen multiple times in recent years, with the cost now set at $151. Renewing a driver’s license costs $30, and replacing titles on vehicles costs $50.
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