Even though Hillsville citizens will be paying $10 more for vehicle registration stickers in 2010, they’ll in essence be saving $10.

Obviously, it sounds illogical to say Hillsville citizens will save $10 when their vehicle registration stickers increase from $15 for a decal to $25 next year. But not so much when you think about it. Had Hillsville Town Council not amended Town Code at its July 27 meeting, Carroll County would have had the option to charge Hillsville residents an additional $10 to make up the difference between the town’s old rate and the county’s current vehicle registration sticker price of $25. Considering the state of the economy and the growing sources of revenue streams the county is losing from the state, odds are fairly heavy that the county would have imposed the additional $10.

And while Hillsville citizens will see their registration sticker bill increase to $25, they will get a $10 voucher that can be used to toward town taxes, business licenses, parking tickets or to pay any other town service except for water and sewer bills. So really, Hillsville citizens will save $10 they most likely would have had to send to the county by paying more. And with dollars so hard to come by these days, it’s always nice to stretch them as much as you can when you can.