Local driver’s license center likely to be hit by budget cuts
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If Gov. Phil Bredesen’s proposed budget is approved by state lawmakers, the driver’s license center in McMinnville will be shut down.
“The good news is we’re not losing any employees. They will be moved to surrounding counties,” said state spokesperson Beth Womack. “We are not firing any driver’s license examiners and that’s important to say because there are layoffs going on throughout the state, including this department.”
The local driver’s license center has four employees with over 55 years of experience. Those employees would likely be offered jobs in Manchester, Cookeville or Murfreesboro, which would also be the closest centers for local residents.
“We’ve heard this was a strong rumor for some time,” said corporal Betty Scott, who runs the driver’s license center in McMinnville. “I think it’s a shame. We serve about 100 people a day, or more.”
McMinnville’s license center had just gone to a four-day schedule about two weeks ago. Before that, the center here was open three days a week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Thursday, driver’s license examiners traveled on a rotating schedule to Smithville, Woodbury and Spencer.
But the practice of sending examiners to small stations about once a month was recently eliminated in an effort to cut costs. Womack said one way this helped save money was it prevented the state from having to rent office space for only occasional visits to rural towns.
“We’re trying to make the whole process more efficient,” said Womack. “We do hate the inconvenience this will cause people but we looked at the money it was costing and thought it would be more efficient.”
Scott said she wasn’t too pleased with the decision to close the local center.
“We handle a lot of people in this office,” she said, noting the driver’s license office also handles voter registration and handgun permits. “We were already getting the people from Smithville, Woodbury and Van Buren County.”
Womack said in an effort to operate more efficiently, mail and online driver’s license renewals are being emphasized. Womack indicated drivers can renew their licenses this way every other five-year renewal period.
“That means you only have to go to a driver’s license station once every 10 years,” said Womack. “Of course there are going to be exceptions, but mail and online renewals are really what we’re working toward.”
To renew your license online, the address is: www.tennesseeanytime.org. At the top of the page is a link to click on that says “Renew your driver’s license.”
Womack said if renewing by mail, drivers should be notified by mail 90 days before their license expires.
Lean times
Disappearing fast: If Gov. Phil Bredesen’s budget is approved, Warren County will be one of 65 counties without a driver’s license center.
What’s left?: The budget cuts would leave only 35 base centers in the state. Some counties, such as Davidson County for example, would be left with more than one center.
Major inconvenience: The driver’s license center in McMinnville issued 101 licenses this Tuesday. It’s likely those patrons will soon have to go elsewhere.