Four bids submitted to run Jackson license office

Lawyer Gerry Jones, who has operated the Jackson license office for the Missouri Department of Revenue since 2005, has three competitors to beat if he wants to keep it.

Bidding closed Tuesday on the license office, which operates out of rented space at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce building at 125 E. Main St. In addition to Jones, who made his bid to keep the office through a company called Deuce Enterprises LLC, bids were also submitted by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and two newly formed private companies, Statler Bros. LLC and Helderman & Hawk Inc.

Statler Bros. LLC is owned by Travis Statler and Daniel Statler, principals of the Statler Law Firm LC and sons of Associate Circuit Judge Peter Statler. Helderman & Hawk is owned by Georgia Mae Helderman, former owner of the Dannie Gilder Inc. trucking firm, and her daughter, Julie Ann Hawk.

It will be several weeks before a decision is made on which bidder will land the contract.

Competitive bids

All state license offices are up for bid under a policy ordered by Gov. Jay Nixon. Operators are being asked to spell out additional services the license office may provide and whether the operator can rebate a portion of the transaction fees to the state, among other requirements.

The bidding process will be good for the system by keeping operators vigilant, said Travis Statler. "It encourages fairness and transparency in the government, and I mean that."

Every office where motorists obtain drivers' licenses and vehicle registrations is a private business operated under contract. Operators earn a living by charging a state-allowed fee on every transaction. Contractors who run the offices have traditionally been chosen from among a governor's supporters.

Former governor Matt Blunt began a system of seeking competitive bids for the offices near the end of his term, which was marked by criticism of the way he awarded license office contracts. Nixon took the bidding process a step further, requiring every aspiring contractor to make a sealed bid.

The Jackson license office handles more than 53,000 transactions annually and fee revenue was more than $175,000 in the fiscal year that ended June 30. Two bidders, the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation and Chicago-based Applus+ Technologies Inc., have bid to operate the Cape Girardeau license office at 112 S. Spanish St.

Jones has acknowledged that his ties to Blunt helped land the contract in 2005. The bid process, if it is fair, could favor him, he said. "If it is truly based on experience and qualifications I feel we have the best shot."

Jones added that he does not intend to bid on any other area license offices.

Other bidders

The bid from Helderman & Hawk was submitted after several weeks of research into the viability of the Jackson office, Hawk said. While her mother owned the trucking firm, she dealt extensively with licensing that involved much more complex transactions than those most motorists face, Hawk said.

"When you come from the trucking industry, you deal with drivers of all sorts, some very professional and some not," she said. "You get used to working with personalities from the most pleasant to the least pleasant."

The No. 1 goal, Helderman said, will be to provide a friendly atmosphere were motorists can transact business quickly and professionally. License office employees "are in the power seat and the people they help just need to know what they have to have to get it done," she said.

If they win the Jackson office, Helderman said she and her daughter may bid on others in the region.

The Statlers' goal is to provide a community service, Travis Statler said. They have no plans to seek other license office contracts, he said.

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce ran the office in the past, but has rented space to the contractor for at least 16 years.

Brian Gerau, director of the chamber, said the office would be a good fit for the chamber and provide needed revenue for chamber programs. "We would like to keep that local, to have Jackson money stay in Jackson," Gerau said.

There would be no change in the office personnel or hours, Gerau said. The chamber may have an advantage because the bidding process gives priority to community or not-for-profit organizations. "It does open the door to a lot of people," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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Pertinent addresses:

125 E. Main St., Jackson, Mo.

112 S. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.