Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - More than 300 people crowded into Wawasee High School's auditorium Friday to protest the proposed closing of the town's license branch.
The meeting lasted approximately two hours.
Bureau of Motor Vehicles commissioner Joel Silverman opened the meeting and presented facts and figures about the local office. It was ranked 96th out of the 168 branches in the state with 41,294 transactions in 2004. That number is 16,532 below the state average, according to Silverman.
Citizens protested both the timing of the meeting, which took place just at the start of the Fourth of July weekend, and the bureau's decision to place the local BMV on the review list for closure.
Citizens noted that the branch is second in the state in the number of boat transactions handled, and the impact closure would have on local marinas.
They pointed out that many residents from surrounding areas make use of the Syracuse facility.
One patron talked about the level of efficiency at the branch, noting that the cost per transaction was lower at Syracuse than at surrounding branches.
The agency is citing the closure as an effort to strengthen customer service and upgrade its computer system and facilities. Costs to operate the Syracuse branch and pay its four employees were given as $248,000.
The Syracuse branch has been placed under review along with 23 other branches scheduled for closure by the end of the year. The agency has already closed nine license branches, including one in North Manchester.
State law requires public hearings in counties that may experience the possible closure of Indiana license branches.
The agency plans to announce additional public hearings as they are scheduled. Hearings are scheduled in Versailles, Brownstown, Odon and Bicknell this week.
For more information, call the BMV communications office, 317-233-2521, or the agency's Web site: www.in.gov/bmv/
