A decision by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to closenumerous rural license-renewal stations has triggered the ire of asouthwest Wisconsin lawmaker.
Rep. Gabe Loeffelholz, R-Platteville, is steamed over the planthat will close Department of Motor Vehicle Centers on Feb. 1,including those in Lancaster, Boscobel and Cuba City.
"We're going to raise cane," said Loeffelholz, a member of theAssembly's transportation committee. "I haven't heard reports aboutwhether they'll listen to us. If they don't, there's going to be 'H'to pay. The rural people have something to say."
Loeffelholz, noting no centers are closing in either Madison orMilwaukee, called the decision a slap in the face to elderly ruralresidents.
"The feeling I have is the big cities get everything and therural communities get hurt," he said.
Forty-eight rural DMV centers will close, not one of the eightlocations in Milwaukee or Madison were cut.
"My constituents don't have the benefits of bus or taxi service,"said Loeffelholz, who serves in the predominantly rural 49thAssembly District. "Why is the DOT cutting services to farmers andthe elderly?"
Loeffelholz acknowledges the state is in the middle of a budgetshortfall. As a result, Gov. Scott McCallum has asked every stateagency to reduce its budget by 10 percent. However, Loeffelholzthinks there are other places the DOT could cut, beginning with freevan service for state employees and its new film-productionfacility.
Department of Transportation officials say the sites planned toclose already have very limited hours and are staffed by travelingteams of customer-service representatives. They say last year fewerthan 3 percent of all customers served at DMV customer servicecenters visited these locations. Because of the small number ofvisits, they add, they are extremely inefficient and costly tooperate and maintain. One center handled only 70 transactions all oflast year.
The statewide average cost-per-transaction at a DMV CustomerService Center is $3. The cost per customer transaction at theaffected sites ranges from $9.35 to $108.91, according to the DOT.
"Redirecting customers to alternate customer service centersallows for the better use of existing staff, and saves on the highcosts associated with travel and facilities," said Roger Cross, DMVadministrator. "Even when economic times are great, we can't justifyto Wisconsin taxpayers a transaction cost of $108.91 for a singlecustomer on a product that costs less than $3 to produce."
According to Cross, the "typical" DMV customer visits a customer-service center once for a driver test and then once every eightyears to renew their driver's license. Other products such aslicense plate renewals and title replacements can be handled overthe telephone, on the Internet or through the mail.
DOT officials emphasize there is at least one customer servicesite in each county of the state. Loeffelholz thinks that might beof little consolation to a Cassville resident, who with the closingof the Lancaster site will have to drive to either Platteville orPrairie du Chien to conduct business.
Loeffelholz said he understands closing the Cuba City site, thatconducted 578 transactions last year, but thinks Lancaster (3,043)and Boscobel (1,974) "got hit hard."
"The bottom line is, rural areas deserve equal treatment," hesaid. "Everyone is facing tough times and it is wrong of the DOT topunish rural Wisconsin."
Copyright 2000 by Telegraph Herald, All rights Reserved.
