Legislative panel backs additional DMV workers

Brendan Riley

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2000 | 10:04 a.m.

CARSON CITY - A legislative panel today authorized hiring of 57 new state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety employees to help reduce waiting times at DMV offices around Nevada.

The lawmakers' Interim Finance Committee approved the hiring, covered in part by a $216,000 emergency loan, after Gov. Kenny Guinn said waiting times at the agency's offices must be cut down to less than one hour.

Deputy DMV Director Ginny said the new workers are needed because agency employees are "burned out" by their workloads since the startup of a problem-plagued, $35 million computer system last fall.

Lewis also said generally people must wait two hours in line in southern Nevada offices and as long as three hours in Reno. She added the agency has "marching orders" from Guinn that anything longer than a one-hour wait in urban areas is unacceptable.

The IFC action followed DMV testimony Tuesday to another legislative panel that the company that built the agency's new Genesis computer system is still working on 17 serious bugs identified several weeks ago.

But nearly 300 other bugs have been fixed since then, Lewis said, adding that all repairs were covered by a warranty agreement with Deloitte Consulting.

There are other serious bugs not covered under the warranty, but Lewis didn't have a count on those. She promised the legislative subcommittee that she'd deliver the number later this week.

The system is running better after some major startup problems last September. Things got so bad at DMV offices after the Genesis startup that Nevada drivers got 30-day grace periods so they wouldn't be ticketed for driving with outdated plates.

Because of computer problems, many motorists were forced to stand in long lines, some for up to eight hours, at DMV offices to conduct routine business.

In addition to increased staffing, the DMV is working on an Internet system for vehicle registrations and license renewals, with a goal of a late-April startup of those services. Registrations at emission stations also are planned.