ITD offers to help clear local vehicle registration backlog

In the five months since installing the Idaho Transportation Department GEM system, the Kootenai County Vehicle Licensing Offices have struggled to keep up with a backlog of appointments.

Now, the state is stepping in. 

Switching over to the GEM vehicle licensing and titling system last October was just another issue in the Assessor's Office, Assessor Bela Kovacs said Thursday. Throw in COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions, and even Alberto Gonzalez, administrator for the Division of Motor Vehicles, called it a perfect storm.

"There were some serious challenges in the way it was rolled out, which really caused more delay to what the county was already experiencing," Kovacs said

Still, Kootenai is not alone, Kovacs said, as ITD has begun drafting agreements with Idaho's most populated counties — Ada, Canyon, Bonneville, and Kootenai — to take over part of their operations. 

Gonzalez said ITD reached out to these counties because they are reporting by far the highest volume of renewals and title registrations. It didn't help, he noted, that COVID had increased absenteeism and reduced staffing long before ITD installed the GEM system.

"Whether people have been exposed, their children aren't in school, or they need to figure things out, we have definitely seen a significant impact to backlog issues," Gonzalez said. 

In the eight weeks that followed the launch, he said, counties slowly began to process requests at a higher rate and were almost "back to normal" by Dec. 1. However, he recognized that people are still unable to schedule appointments weeks in advance. 

To help tackle the backlog, ITD staff have offered to process all online renewals, mail-in registrations, and dealer title work at the state level. The agreements have already started in Ada and Canyon counties, Gonzalez said, and are expected to last six or seven months.

While Kootenai County hasn't signed an agreement yet, he said the agency is hoping to finalize that process within a week.

Kovacs noted that the added hands would help but argued that Kootenai County residents prefer using local governmental offices.

"I'm a believer of local representation in government," he said. "I know a lot of people want to be able to drive to their local government and register a vehicle there. Some people probably don't want to have to deal with Boise. Others are perfectly happy doing everything online."

Many in North Idaho, and Kootenai County, don't have reliable internet access or they feel uncomfortable processing important documents online, Kovacs noted.

Gonzalez said ITD encourages people who prefer no-contact renewals to do so and make room for those who can't. He also added that processing online requests is much more efficient and that ITD has been able to renew upward of 500 car registrations per hour.

More effective administration is something that Kovacs said he's always open to. However, he worried that this temporary centralization of government might turn into a long-term practice. 

"As I understand it, they plan to try and move more toward centralization and encourage more citizens to do things online and by mail," Kovacs said. "I believe there should be a balance between offering local services to the people who don't have access to technology and keeping a good portion of (our processes) local."

Though the agreements are temporary, Gonzalez said if centralized services are in the customers' best interest, he doesn't see an issue in providing them. He pointed out that the world is changing. People are becoming accustomed to shopping online, getting their groceries delivered and paying more of their bills online. 

"We need to be at the same level of enhanced delivery of services. We need to change the way we are going about it, and that may not be the model that exists today," Gonzalez said. 

Still, he said, ITD is mindful that the counties do receive funding for the work they process and that employees in the Kootenai County Motor Vehicle Licensing Offices are working as hard as possible to serve residents.