Further government restructuring
in South Carolina is very much of a question mark. There
is a lot of disagreement.
Nearly everyone can
agree, however, that changes need to be made at the
Division of Motor Vehicles. From the governor on down,
South Carolinians have horror stories of waiting for
service at the Division of Motor Vehicles.
But
this is more than a story of a Department of Public
Safety division that may or may not be run well. DMV has
a systemic problem.
Previous changes have helped
eliminate the need for so many to so often go to the
offices of the DMV. Most people can remember going to
the offices at least once annually for renewal of auto
license tags. For most, that process is now handled by
mail.
But there are still long, long
lines at the DMV because so much business requires
direct contact. That can and should change, whether the
Legislature decides ultimately to approve a major
overhaul of the division.
Enter Gov. Mark
Sanford.
Joined by lawmakers, Sanford this past
Thursday announced changes that can be implemented now.
They are designed primarily to reduce the long lines at
DMV before tempers get as hot as the summer
heat.
Key changes focus on reducing the need for
South Carolinians to go directly to DMV offices by
allowing computerized transactions.
The DMV Web
site will offer information on driver records, points
status and pending registration by July, as well as a
service that will allow people to pay their driver's
license reinstatement fees. South Carolinians also will
be able to renew driver licenses and identification
cards, change addresses and get a duplicate driver's
license.
"When you talk about web-based
transactions and the ability for the first time to do
some of these things without taking a drive down to the
DMV office, you really do need to talk about saving
people's time," Sanford said. "And time ultimately is
money."
Beyond having fewer people in the lines,
those in those lines will see a different DMV, said J.T.
Gandolfo, who led a task force that looked into ways to
improve service. "You will see a major change in how
customers are treated,'' he promises.
All DMV
offices will close May 28 as employees undergo
customer-service training. Also, the agency will begin
Saturday office hours at six regional offices --
Florence, Aiken, Irmo, Greenville, Charleston and Rock
Hill -- on June 7. Hard to believe offices in locations
such as Orangeburg and Beaufort aren't on that list,
too.
Nonetheless, the changes are
welcome.
Now will come the important task of
getting DMV employees to embrace them. Making that
happen won't be easy, as the natural inclination is to
resist change, particularly when it is aimed at
improving the performance of people unlikely to see
their performance as substandard.
DMV is a
much-maligned division of state government in which
changes can make a difference immediately. The degree of
success will depend on employee moral improving right
along with the division's functions.
