Ten Minute Price Tag

When Mobile County License Commissioner Kim Hastie won her election last November, she did it with a very catchy campaign slogan.

"I thought it was good, yeah I'll vote for her," says Tiffany Carlisle, as she waited to get her car tag renewed at the License Commission office on Michael Boulevard.

Hastie promised "ten minute tags," and as recently as March 4th she insisted she'd deliver. "I've only been here five weeks," Hastie told News Five after we clocked the wait at 38 minutes.

Now, Hastie says she not only needs time, she needs money. During the Mobile County Commission's March 12th meeting, she asked commissioners for more than $1 million to hire 57 new employees.

"I didn't know how much it would cost at that time," said Hastie when asked why she didn't mention the price tag during the campaign.

Commissioner Steve Nodine says there is no way he'll support funding the request.

"I didn't make her campaign promises," says Nodine. "I think a little more thought should have gone into exactly how that was going to be accomplished."

A spokesperson for Commission President Mike Dean says he is considering a smaller request for 12 new employees, which Hastie says would help with overtime issued but would not fulfill the ten minute tag promise. The additional staff would cost the county approximately $211,766, but even that is too much, according to Nodine.

"With the county's revenues down almost 14% we have to find ways of cutting. In fact, we have asked every department to cut not increase," says Nodine.

Hastie tells News Five she has no "Plan B". Without the additional funding, Hastie says "ten minute tags" won't happen.