ADOT identifies 12 MVD offices to be closed

Motorists in several Arizona communities are going to soon find themselves without a Motor Vehicle Division office.

In the East Valley, at least one is on the chopping block - the location in east Mesa.

The state Department of Transportation has released a list of which 12 offices out of the 61 statewide will soon be shuttered. They range from two in urban areas of Maricopa County to four part-time offices in rural parts of the state.

How much inconvenience that will mean to residents of those areas, though, depends on two things: what services they need and whether they have access to a computer.

ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel said it's a simple question of money. As long as the state is in a financial crunch, his agency has less to spend.

"MVD customer service staff has been reduced by a third due to attrition through the hiring freeze and the recently announced layoffs,'' he said. "You can't avoid an impact on services when those types of cuts occur.''

Nintzel said his agency used a variety of factors in determining which offices to shutter.

"That includes really the number of customers served at any particular office, a review of the condition of the facility, because a number of them are in disrepair, and the availability of alternative service locations,'' he said.

That includes not only other MVD offices in the area but also private companies that have contracts with the state to perform some routine services such as renewing vehicle registrations.

East Mesa residents would have alternatives in Apache Junction and west Mesa.

That, however, might provide little comfort to residents of some communities that don't have the same access to these private companies.

For example, the MVD Web site shows that the closest third-party provider for residents of Williams is going to be in Prescott, nearly 70 miles away.

Ajo residents will have to drive to Gila Bend. And those who relied on the part-time MVD office in Fredonia will find the closest service to be in Kingman, a round-trip drive of nearly 300 miles.

But a certified public accountant in Bisbee will continue to offer many of the same services that will no longer be available at a local MVD office.

Distance is no object for those who can complete their transactions online, including vehicle registration renewal, getting a duplicate driver's license and even obtaining a temporary vehicle permit for unlicensed vehicles.

But anyone who wants that duplicate driver license immediately will have to go to an actual MVD office, as will those who seek a license, learner's permit or state-issued ID card for the first time. Similarly, motorists whose licenses expire at age 65 and need a new vision test will have to visit an MVD office.

"There are no perfect answers here,'' Nintzel said.

A final date for closure has not been announced.

Part of the delay relates to the fact that Arizonans can register to vote at MVD offices. Arizona is one of several states covered by federal civil rights laws that require "preclearance'' by the U.S. Department of Justice for any change that could affect the voting rights of minorities.

MVD closures

Planned MVD office closures and average number of customers served each month:

Ajo* - 324

Benson - 1,638

Bisbee - 1,081

Central Phoenix (Washington and 28th streets) - 11,325

Clifton* - 201

East Mesa (Main Street near Sossaman Road) - 9,640

Fredonia* - 209

Kearny - 444

St. Johns - 1,165

Superior* - 399

Willcox - 1,114

Williams - 978

* Part-time offices

SOURCE: Arizona Department of Transportation