Chamber Urges Use of Local DMV

When Columbia County residents think of buying local, they generally think of shopping at locally-owned stores, eating at locally-owned restaurants and using local contractors for projects.

But there's another important way residents can support the county's economy, a way most people aren't aware of – by using the local Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) office instead of the Internet when purchasing vehicle registrations and drivers' licenses.

“In this time of ever-increasing property taxes and county governments facing increasing costs and looking to cut costs, it is important for taxpayers to understand you're helping your county by doing business locally,” said Holly Tanner, Columbia County Clerk.

For every vehicle registration and license application/renewal the county DMV processes, the county keeps 12.7 percent of the fees collected. The average monthly take at the DMV is $40,000, Tanner said. The total profit realized for 2007 was $448,000 – more than enough to pay the cost of running the department and have some left over for the county's coffers.

“It is a nice little chunk of change,” noted Tanner.

But if drivers send their DMV paperwork to the state's Utica processing center or perform their transactions via the state's website, Columbia County gets no money. A picture of Tanner even appears on the state's website for Columbia County , possibly misleading people into thinking the revenue benefits the county.

“People don't realize we're competing with the state for these revenues,” said Tanner, who added that she wasn't aware of the situation either until she became county clerk in 2002. “This is one of the areas where I want to get the word out.”

Since she became aware of the situation, Tanner has tried to spread the word by mentioning it every time she speaks to local organizations. But, as the state has aggressively stepped up its marketing campaign promoting the use of the Internet for DMV transactions, Tanner has tried to think of low-cost ways she can better spread the word.

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce's “Buy Local” campaign fit the bill. “The Buy Local campaign seemed to be a way to get a lot more publicity without a huge cost. I always try to keep costs low,” she said.

The Chamber was happy to lend assistance, said Chamber President David Colby. The Chamber has begun spreading the word by informing its 800 members.

“It's all part of our Buy Local initiative encouraging people to spend dollars locally. The Chamber is trying to be supportive of our local government and let people know they can keep funds local by using our local DMV,” Colby said. “We want to do our part to try and promote this.”

Lost income isn't the Chamber's only concern. They would hate to see the local DMV office close if people stopped using it.

“If we don't use it, we'll lose that asset in our community,” said Colby. “If we don't support a DMV office and we're not able to maintain one, it would be a real hardship if residents had to travel to Albany .”

Greg Fingar, owner of the Fingar Insurance Agency and a Chamber member, said this is an issue about which he's passionate. The economic impact goes beyond supporting the county budget, he said. Keeping the revenues here also helps support local jobs. And there's also the convenience factor.

“It may be looked at as a possible savings to close the local DMV. You don't realize the inconvenience until it's gone,” Fingar noted.

From his standpoint as an insurance agent, Fingar has business-related concerns as well.

“People may think, if they have to go to Albany to register a car, why not buy it there as well. It's going to make us that much less of a community,” he said. “As conscientious citizens we need to support these local businesses; the DMV has to be thought of like that. And why not? It doesn't cost more if you do it here.“

Besides physically visiting the DMV office at 560 Warren Street in Hudson , residents can mail their DMV paperwork to that address instead of Utica and still benefit Columbia County . The local staff works hard to provide fast and friendly service, said Tanner, and overcome those stereotypes of long DMV waiting lines.

“The staff is great. They have a difficult job and stereotypes to overcome. We try to make everything quick, friendly and painless as well,” she said.

Another advantage to doing DMV business locally is quicker turnaround. Residents can walk out the door in Hudson with everything they need. Even if they mail their documents and payments to the local DMV, residents will generally receive their licenses and registrations in two days. And besides keeping dollars local, residents' state tax dollars aren't being used for postage.

The local DMV office is open 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. weekdays, and on Thursdays stays open until 6:45 p.m. The phone number is (518) 828-3350.

The Columbia County DMV office is pleased to host the County Supervisor's Reception/Business After Hours on Wednesday, September 10 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm  The annual reception honors our County leaders and gives the Chamber membership a chance to network with their local officials.  The Chamber will be unveiling the "Guide to Navigating the Local Planning Process" and introducing the recipients of the Gerald R. Simons Scholar Fund for the Leadership Columbia County program.  For reservations contact the Chamber at 828-4417.