JEFFERSON CITY — Today, Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville; Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Cassville; and Rep. Don Phillips, R-Kimberling City, sent a letter to Joel Walters, Director of the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR), urging the department not to close the Crane License Office.
“Closing this office would be a blow to the Crane community,” said Sen. Sater. “Not only would a business close its doors and people lose their jobs, but anyone who needs to get a driver’s license or license plates will have to travel a lot farther and face longer lines and spend more of their time to get those things done.”
DOR announced the closing of the office last Friday due to the location’s fewer number of transactions, compared to other offices, and the uptick in online vehicle titling and tag renewals.
Motor vehicle and driver license offices are a public-private partnership where local individuals or groups bid for the opportunity to run the offices in their communities. The offices then collect fees that support its operation. The state doesn’t run the office, nor does the state lose any money if the offices don’t generate the amount of business expected.
“These offices don’t cost the state of Missouri money,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “They are an opportunity to take what has traditionally been a government function and hand that over to the local community. To me, that’s a win-win; less government and another business in town creating jobs and growing the local economy.”
The letter to Director Walters urges DOR to consider the effect on Crane and all of Stone County, while also suggesting the department consider options such as different hours of operation or other efficiencies that might allow the office to stay open and generate more business.
“If this office closes, a lot of people all over Stone County are going to be affected,” said Rep. Phillips. “The department jumped the gun on this decision and didn’t give the local office time to find other ways to generate more business. The department should take a step back, put the office out for bid again and see what happens. Given the opportunity, I bet the folks in Crane step up again and do a great job of running that office.”
Senator Sater, Rep. Fitzpatrick and Rep. Phillips intend to follow up their letter with meetings with DOR and discussions with fellow lawmakers to see what options may be available to keep the office open.