ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Organizers are trying to get Governor Hogan's attention on a widespread problem that our own Mallory Sofastaii has been reporting on for months.
Maryland drivers are getting stacks of toll bills with hundreds of dollars in charges.
Some of the bills are more than a year old, and include $25 late fees, even though residents have never received an original bill.
In many cases that's led to flags being placed on vehicle registrations and threats from the MVA to withhold tax refunds and document renewals.
The goal was to get a Change.Org petition together with 15,000 signatures before sending it to Hogan, but organizers say they're now hoping that number reaches 25,000.
They want the Governor to create a task force that would address the problem that is affecting so many in the state.
So what's the reason for all the toll bills being mailed at once?
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It's because the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) put a hold on processing toll transactions for seven months during the pandemic in 2020.
Now the agency is not only mailing out its backlogged tolls late, but their giving drivers a warning if they don’t pay by the due date.
The MDTA has said it's trying to avoid sending customers expensive bills all at once -- except to those who had more than 25 notices when the agency started mailing them out again.
State Senator Cory McCray of Baltimore -- decided to sponsor a bill to stop the late fees from piling up after he received several toll notices in the mail.
MORE: Lawmakers share negative E-ZPass experiences during bill hearing on toll payments
Senate Bill 59 proposes waiving penalties for tolls where the MDTA is responsible for the delay in timely processing.
The MDTA has a board meeting scheduled for Thursday at 9am. One agenda item focuses on toll operations and customer service.
