Quick Fixes and Long Term Solutions in the Offing
Governor Carcieri this week received an interim report from team members working on the Governor's Fiscal Fitness Program that outlined a series of long-term reforms to the Registry, including several steps that could be implemented within 45 to 60 days.
"As all Rhode Islanders know, the Registry is totally dysfunctional," said Governor Carcieri. "Its problems are longstanding. We won't be able to fix them overnight, but there are some things we can do right away to help ease the pain for those who need to go to the Registry to conduct routine business."
The DMV Taskforce, composed of volunteer business leaders, workforce representatives and registry administrators, was charged with conducting an expedited top-to-bottom review. At the Governor's direction, the group assessed ways to:
* reduce the waiting time * decrease the volume of office visits * streamline service and * establish performance metrics to benchmark best practices
Based upon data generated for the month of April at the Pawtucket DMV, the average waiting time to register a vehicle was logged at one hour and fifty-seven (1:57) minutes, with a maximum waiting time of a staggering four hours and fifty-nine (4:59) minutes. A similarly unsatisfactory average waiting time of one hour and thirty-seven minutes was logged for renewing a license, according to the taskforce findings.
Among the immediate fixes aimed at improving customer service, the Governor is ordering:
* mandatory mail-in of registration renewals to reduce the overall volume of traffic at the Registry. (The DMV currently accepts registration renewal by mail or in person, resulting in approximately 15,000 walk-in visits per month);
* greeters to service customers upon arrival to ensure that patrons have the proper paperwork BEFORE standing in line;
* new signage to properly and easily direct customers to the appropriate service providers;
* installation of ATMs inside the Registry facilities to aid customers who need quick and immediate access to cash in order to complete a transaction;
* technology improvements to the telephone system to expedite call volume;
* educational material posted on the DMV web site to inform customers, in advance, of what will be needed to complete a transaction. Information packages will also be provided to local libraries reinforcing the same message.
The Governor emphasized that these "quick fixes" will not solve the whole problem. "The Fiscal Fitness taskforce is still working at full throttle to devise long-term solutions," said Governor Carcieri. "We need a sweeping overhaul of the Registry. We intend to reengineer the Registry's entire information technology system and move towards electronic processing. This will take additional time to accomplish. I am asking the public to be patient and to recognize that the employees who work at the Registry are equally frustrated by the ill conceived system now in place. I am fully aware of the problems."