October 27th, 2020 (Rochester, NY) This morning, Monroe County Clerk Jamie Romeo launched a new initiative, making DMV computer terminals available in the atrium of the County Office Building during business hours Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. In addition, last week the Greece DMV located in the Mall at Greece Ridge has also expanded their hours, opening at 830 AM to appointments only.
The County Clerk’s Office has been working diligently to address the backlogs developed during the State mandated shut down. Under Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.43, all county-run Department of Motor Vehicle offices were allowed to reopen to in-person transactions only if conducted by appointment only. While the Clerk’s Office has continued to modify and expand the current appointment system (currently booking over 800 appointments a day) there remains a tremendous need in the community to meet.
As the State continues to move more services online, the County Clerk’s Office encourages residents to complete simple transactions, such as license and registrations renewals, online when possible. Recent reports have stated that 1 in 5 homes in Rochester have no broadband connection. These public terminals will allow residents to visit the County Office Building without an appointment to utilize the State DMV website.
“Right now our top priority needs to be safety, the safety of our residents and our staff,” County Clerk Romeo stated. “The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized many disparities in our community, including household access to the internet. As the State continues to provide more DMV transactions online, we encourage residents who are able to take up these transactions online, helping us prioritize appointments for our friends and neighbors unable to process their transaction remotely.”
On September 18th, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced an expansion to online DMV services, an important initiative that would allow for online learners permit testing and vehicle registration. Unfortunately, neither of these online tools have been made available to the residents of Monroe County, or any DMV that does not have a State-run DMV. County Clerk Romeo has stayed in contact with the State DMV Commissioner’s Office throughout this pilot and is confident Monroe County will have access to these online resources soon.