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NORWALK, Conn Today is your last chance to renew your driver's license or use other services at the Department of Motor Vehicles during evening hours.
Under a revised operating schedule, Thursday night hours in Norwalk and other regional motor vehicles offices will be shortened and other services will be curtailed.
The Thursday hours of 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. will be cut back to 9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday will be slightly expanded to 7:45 a.m.- 4 p.m., from the current 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday's 8 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. schedule will remain the same.
The changes based on budget cutbacks independent of the wage and benefit concessions being considered by state unions will require customers to drive longer distances for certain services.
Ironically, those seeking new drivers' licenses will be most impacted, as they will have to drive (or be driven) further to get to a DMV office for both written and road tests, and to obtain a license, officials said.
As of Friday the department will change the operating hours at its 10 full-service branch offices and shift some services such as road tests for driver's licenses to four centralized locations as part of "streamlining, cost-cutting and efficiency efforts."
Those four regionalized branches will now be in Bridgeport, Waterbury, Wethersfield and Willimantic, with the Hamden office added in the next few months, according to DMV Commissioner Melody Currey.
"Most of the impact will be on those seeking new licenses," said DMV spokesman Bill Seymour.
Seymour said while some people will have to travel farther for certain licensing and registration issues "the added time driving will be offset by shorter wait times resulting from increased staffing at the expanded service centers.
"By just cutting back Thursday night we are saving $50,000, and that's a big chunk of money during challenging economic times that require shared sacrifice from regular households to governmental agencies," Seymour said.
These changes will go into effect regardless of whether state employees ratify the (proposed union) agreement, Seymour said.
However, he added that if the union proposal is approved, the scheduled closing (Aug. 21 and 22) of some satellite offices and license renewal centers in Derby, Milford and Middletown will be "re-evaluated."
Will the changes in hours and services by the Department of Motor Vehicles have an impact on you? Let us know in a comment below.
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