License-plate program earns $231,000 for Arizona Route 66 association

Apparently, there’s money in them there license plates.

Arizona’s Route 66 specialty license plate generated $231,161 last year for the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, prompting the nonprofit to move away from being a membership-based organization and exploring new avenues for preservation and grants.

According to a news release Monday from Nikki Seegers, the association’s director of operations:

The association is excited about the new opportunities available for the road, thanks to the license plate program’s success with revenue being used for preservation and grant opportunities. The association has hired an attorney to assist in the creation of long-term programs to ensure license plate revenue is responsibly allocated. Much thought and consideration are required to ensure that sustainable, impactful projects and causes are supported. Several projects are under consideration, and the association will announce some projects and new programs in the near future as they become available.
The association is moving away from a membership-based organization to focus on becoming a resource to Arizona Route 66 businesses and communities. Key community members and business owners will gather this week for their annual Arizona Route 66 meeting. The group will be celebrating Route 66 in Arizona, share successes, as well as identify projects and preservation opportunities that would benefit the Arizona Route 66 community.
In the early years, the budget was tight, so an all-volunteer force supported the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona’s mission to preserve, promote and protect Route 66 in Arizona. The association now has a full-time director of operations and operates a gift shop inside the Powerhouse Visitor Center in Kingman, Arizona. The association is governed by a board of directors who represent Route 66 across Arizona.

Seegers said the design and approval process in 2016 for the license-plate program was time-consuming, required a $32,000 fee, that the organization be a federally recognized nonprofit and that it have an organizational history of 30 years or more.

For every $25 plate sold, $17 goes to the Arizona Route 66 association. More than 13,000 vehicles now sport the plate.

Arizona Route 66 plates for both automobiles and motorcycles are available here.

Steve Wingenfeld, a specialist in collector car insurance, shepherded a bill through the Arizona Legislature and raised the money required for the plate. He became enthused about the idea after participating in the annual Arizona Route 66 Fun Run with his wife and grandchildren.

Special Route 66 license plates also are officially available in Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and New Mexico.

Kudos to the Arizona organization for recognizing the potential benefits of the license-plate program. The initial fee of 30 grand probably was tough to swallow, but there’s no doubt it’s paying big dividends now.

(Image of Arizona Route 66 specialty license plate courtesy of Arizona Department of Transportation)