Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell on Monday called for the elimination of a $1 vehicle registration fee imposed primarily to help pay for the Jamestown 400th commemoration. The General Assembly in 2003 increased the cost of vehicle registration to raise about $6 million annually and set a June 30, 2008, expiration date for the fee.

McDonnell thinks the expiration date should hold.

Last week, Sen. Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-Williamsburg, told the Williamsburg City Council the fee could find new uses for other state needs, such as tourism, now that the Jamestown events are over.

McDonnell urged "permanent elimination" of the fee as a gesture of good faith to voters who were told the fee was mostly for Jamestown.

About $4 million was devoted to Jamestown activities, while the rest was divided between the Department of Motor Vehicles to enhance driver's license security and the governor's open space conservation fund.

The expiration of the fee is likely to be overshadowed this spring when large hikes in registration and inspection fees go into effect.

Virginia's new transportation plan calls for a $10 increase in the fees to fund road and rail projects, while the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority is set to impose its own $10 hike in regional inspection fees in April.

The increases, coupled with other fees and taxes, are part of a $3 billion statewide transportation plan approved by lawmakers last session.

Tom Holden, (757) 446-2331, tom.holden@pilotonline.com