New2Maine.com

As we’ve now been Mainers for just over a year, this month Amber and I have to renew our vehicle registrations (and pay the annual excise tax on our cars). Last year that meant a wait at City Hall in Portland to pay the tax, and then another wait at the BMV on Presumpscot Street to pay for the registration and get plates. This year, thankfully, we were able to use the BMV’s wonderfully easy Rapid Renewal Service to do the whole thing online.

For a negligible agent fee of $2.00 per car (plus, of course, the tax and registration costs), I was able to complete both registrations in about 10 minutes, including the time it took to run out to the driveway to grab the current registrations, insurance cards, and odometer readings. That’s less time than it would have taken to drive to City Hall and find a parking spot, let waiting in line at the treasurer’s office or the BMV! Well worth the nominal fee, if you ask me. Not every Maine municipality supports the Rapid Renewal service, but many do. Before you queue at your (sometimes not so) local BMV again, I highly recommend you check the list of those that do and see if you can save yourself the trouble. I’m glad I did.

According to a CNN Wire story, President Bush is up here in Maine for a long weekend. No public appearances were planned, as Bush has a family wedding to attend. Anti-war protestors are expected to stage a rally outside the Kennebunkport compound tomorrow. Let’s hope nothing gets out of hand. Regardless of your feelings on the war, no one should be ruining a couple’s wedding.