DMV Offices Closing?

Several Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) offices and photo license renewal centers are slated to close soon, the latest targets of the governor’s budget battles. WTNH News 8 reported on July 13 that DMV officials visited many offices Wednesday to tell the employees to expect layoff notices soon. DMV offices closing include Danbury, New Britain, Enfield, Old Saybrook, and Putnam, while the photo license renewal centers in Middletown, Derby, and Milford are also slated for closure. The employee layoffs and satellite office closings will make this most frequently used state service a test of patience.

“There’s no question the public’s going to be affected, but government will continue to operate, it will be smaller, it will be cheaper, but the level of services that people have become used to they simply won’t be getting,” Roy Occhiogrosso, the senior advisor to Governor Dannel Malloy, told WTNH, adding “it’s possible” people will stand in line longer at the DMV.

A formal announcement from the governor’s office was expected July 14 or 15.

“It’s certainly not something I welcome,” Rep David Scribner (R-Brookfield) told the news station, before noting Danbury’s DMV office serves residents in a large geographical area, and the nearest branch that will remain open is in Waterbury — about 30 miles away from Danbury and even farther from some surrounding towns.

No timeframe for the shutdowns has been announced, but officials say it would probably occur by September.