Residents of Carroll County have inundated the Iowa Department of Transportation with their concerns over the closure of the Carroll Licensing offices effective Aug. 31. Their tenacity has brought about some changes that are now being offered to help the county transition through this difficult time. Carroll County Board of Supervisors’ Chair, Neil Bock said not one entity can take credit, it took the community to drive change.
Carroll County Treasurer, Jean Seidl, said they are optimistic that what is being offered now may not be the last word, especially if the DOT continues to receive input from Carroll County. She did provide details about the first of the two latest proposals received from Iowa DOT Director of Motor Vehicles, Mark Lowe.
The second proposal is a means to continue services while training is taking place.
The DOT made a special trip to Carroll today (Monday) at 10 a.m. to not only discuss these proposals, but to also conduct site assessments for the placement of a licensing kiosk in the community. This is one other option offered to help continue the services while the change-over to County Treasurer’s office issuances could be fully implemented in February or March of next year. Seidl said they have discussed three possible locations for placement of the kiosk. If it was to be put in City Hall, access would only be available on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If it was to be placed at Hy-Vee, public access would be maximized at 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Carroll Public Library is one other option for kiosk placement. No matter where the kiosk is placed, it will be removed as soon as the Treasurer is able to do issuances. Seidl added that Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Provost, Joel Lundstrom, had stated that they would help fulfill a need with CDL licensure testing for a fee if the DOT is not going to offer it in Carroll County. The track of that course will be determined once final plans are made.
