DMVs paying the price for Cuomo’s inaction
I have been a proud employee of Rensselaer County DMV for 31 years, 11 years as the DMV Deputy County Clerk and 20+ years as Rensselaer County Clerk. I can honestly say that the DMV situation in New York State as a result of the Real ID debacle is the worst it has ever been. New York is paying the price for the Cuomo administration’s inaction and inattentiveness to Motor Vehicle issues and now NYS residents and DMV employees are about to pay the price for this lack of action.
New York State’s deci- sion to wait until the last possible moment to make a commitment to the federal Real ID act has frenzied customers looking to upgrade their license before the 2020 deadline. This has resulted in even longer lines, wait times and frustration as county employees have to instruct and sometimes turn away these customers who do not understand or do not have the proper documents needed for Real ID.
The state has not provided adequate equipment and funding to effectively deal with the Real ID situ- ation which has resulted in the current chaotic DMV situation. The state has not increased County DMV revenue retention which means Counties with DMV are now facing increased workloads at the same staffing levels. Rensselaer County DMV has adjusted the hours of operation on Thursday nights in order to ensure a full staff to service the large crowds. Long time DMV employees are looking for other avenues of employment due to the increased crowds, frustrated customers, and inefficient equipment. This is a night- marish situation that has detrimental effects on morale and customer service that has been a hallmark of Rensselaer County DMV.
The Cuomo administration, which has ignored the Real ID act and the implications for the past ten years now, is trying to cover itself by launching a media blitz to inform the public of these federal regulations and urging everyone to upgrade their licenses. This is laudable except for the fact that the state has known about the program and deadline for years and did noth- ing about it. This media blitz occurred during the 4th of July holiday, the busiest time of year for DMVs, their call to adhere to the Real ID act only additionally stresses the overworked, underequipped and short staffed county DMV offices that do a great job trying to meet the needs of large numbers of daily customers.
If Governor Cuomo really cared about New York residents, he would stop trying to govern through press release and maybe visit a few DMVs to see for himself the lack of equip- ment and staffing as well as to assist in dealing with frustrated customers having to wait for great lengths of time only to be told that they are missing documentation and they have wasted a trip. He then would see that the DMVs need better equipment to deal with Real ID and other DMV transactions and would take steps to provide this rather than sending a few people to the airports for public relations purposes.
Frank J. Merola Rensselaer County Clerk