RMV Modernization Plan Would Close North Adams Branch
 A proposal to modernize the Registry of Motor Vehicles calls for closing and consolidating branches including the one in North Adams. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city's Registry of Motor Vehicles office could close under a state proposal to consolidate its 30 branches into a dozen regional centers.
The 31-page report on the "re-imagining" of the RMV was presented last Wednesday to the Department of Transportation's board of directors. It addresses the agency's aging technology infrastructure, the use of third-party vendors and the phasing out of some branch transactions to improve customer service.
Any implementation is "years away," according to the agency, but the state's smallest city isn't waiting to find out.
Mayor Richard Alcombright said on Monday that he's already contacted the city's legislators and neighboring community leaders, and fired off letters to Gov. Deval Patrick, Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey and Registrar Rachel Kaprielian.
"I did outline the fact that we've basically been getting killed on the loss of state services in the city and it just isn't right," he said.
In recent years, local officials have fought to keep social and court services in North Adams with varying success as the state consolidated offices 25 miles away in Pittsfield.
In this plan, the Registry, too, would move to Pittsfield; the other Western Mass centers would be Greenfield and Springfield. Employees are expected to be transferred from the local branches to regional centers.
Limited public transportation and access to computer systems, the need for credit or debit cards, along with the number of elderly and low-income residents, create barriers to online use and make trips to Pittsfield difficult, say local officials.
"A three-hour roundtrip to Pittsfield is unimaginable and unreasonable," Alcombright said.
North Adams is among the smallest branches, serving fewer than 50,000 people a year. It is comparable with Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, neither of which are targeted for closure, presumably because of their island geography. Pittsfield is a Tier 2 branch, serving between 50,000 and 100,000 annually.
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The local Registry has been eyed for closure in the past. It more recently was downsized when it moved to the former Roberts Co. building on Main Street. |
Alcombright said he learned of the plan last week when he went to the Registry to renew his registration. When he commented to a clerk about how busy the office was — about 20 or 30 people while he was there — she responded it might not be for long.
"The disappointment here is why wouldn't we know? Why would I find out getting my registration renewed?" said the mayor.
State Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, D-North Adams, said she was able to speak with Kaprielian the same day the report was presented.
"The first thing I said to her was 'North Adams?'" said Cariddi on Tuesday. "They get it. ... They get we have an older population, a population that doesn't have a great density on the Internet."
While online may be more convenient, she urged residents to make use of the local office because savings now could mean a 48-mile drive and an hour and a half of their time later if it's moved to Pittsfield. "We need to have a physical presence," she said.
Cariddi said a number of legislators will be sending a joint correspondence on the issue to transportation officials.
"The main thing is that it's not going to happen anytime soon," she said. "We have plenty of time to weigh in on it."
The National Association of Government Employees/Service Employees International Union has come out strongly against the consolidation proposal and was alerting Beacon Hill lawmakers last week.
"This plan is a disaster, from a public policy standpoint, from a public safety standpoint, from a customer service standpoint ... it's not family friendly and it's not worker friendly," said John Mann, president of Unit 1, in a statement on the NAGE website.
According to the report, done by the Office of Performance Management and Innovation, the RMV must reform "as our customers demand more, faster and mobile service." It outlines the need for reducing wait times for the 3.5 million customers annually who visit RMV branches and providing more efficient services online and through kiosks and more partnerships, including AAA.
MassDOT spokeswoman Sara Lavoie said in an email that the report "was well received and further analysis will be done on the regionalization concept."
But she added, "This is a concept that is years away from reality."
Tags: MassDOT, registry, RMV, state officials,
