Internet may help shorten DMV lines

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 1999 | 9:48 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Internet may be riding to the rescue of motorists hampered by long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety.

Ginny Lewis, deputy director of the department, told a legislative subcommittee studying the trouble-plagued Genesis computer system that she hopes to have a system in place by the end of April to allow motorists to renew their driver's licenses and motor vehicle registrations over the Internet or by telephone.

And smog check stations in Clark and Washoe counties, she said, should soon be ready to handle renewals of car registration when motorists get emission tests.

She was tp appear before the Legislative Interim Finance Committee today to ask that she be allowed to spend $290,000 for the equipment needed for the emission stations. She wants another $500,000 authorized to continue to employ the private consulting firm of Deloitte & Touche to help install and train employees for the Internet and telephone system.

Deloitte & Touche developed the Genesis system, which has been roundly criticized for mistakes and long lines for those wanting to register cars or to get titles. Lewis said Deloitte & Touche programmers "have the skills to meet the system."

Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, however, suggested Deloitte & Touche may not have been the best contractor to initially hire for development of Genesis.

"It appears they had it wired from the beginning," Neal said. "On the point system, they came up short," he added, referring to the evaluation of the bidders for the project.

"I want to interview the persons who evaluated the contracts," he said. "We might not have been as vigilant as we could have been in guarding the public purse."

But Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, who is chairman of the subcommittee, said his documents show that Deloitte & Touche came out tops among the bidders. He added later that Deloitte & Touche "came to the table" by extending the warranty on the Genesis programs for a month to correct problems at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

Deloitte & Touche has already been paid $9.7 million for its work.

Beers noted that $33.5 million was the estimated cost of switching computers and $26 million so far has been budgeted, of which $14 million has been spent.

Lewis said the system was "reaching stabilization" now after a rocky start. In Las Vegas offices the worst wait is two hours, she told the subcommittee.