Two-year, online licensing speeding up bureau lines

Going to the license bureau used to automatically mean long minutes of counting tiles on the floor or talking with other applicants about how slowly the line is moving.

But innovations over the past few years have drastically reduced waiting times at some bureaus, including those in Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Though procrastinating on license renewals still can cost extra time and money, the end-of-the-month rush and time-wasting lines at some license bureaus have decreased in recent years thanks largely to two innovations.

In 2000, the Missouri Department of Revenue began allowing two-year registrations of vehicles in addition to the standard one-year registration. A year later, Missouri residents could renew registrations online.

Norma Wildman, manager at the Cape Girardeau and Jackson offices, said there has been a noticeable drop in customers waiting at Cape Girardeau County license bureaus. But Anita Atchison, manager of the Scott County office in Chaffee, Mo., and Martha Merrill, the fee agent at the Perry County bureau in Perryville, Mo., have not seen a similar drop-off.

Although the Chaffee license bureau is not as busy as it has been in the past, Atchison said the difference is not a big one.

One reason Atchison said the Scott County license bureau has seen such a small drop in renewals is that more people are coming in from outside the county.

Last year, 2.9 million Missourians decided on two-year tags compared to the 1.7 million who register annually, according to the Department of Revenue. The first year that two-year tags were available, 962,000 Missouri residents opted for them.

There also has been little effect from the two-year tags in Perryville, Merrill said. But the Perryville bureau has been helped by a change in policy regarding renewal of personalized plates.

All personalized plates used to be renewed in July, Merrill said, but now they are renewed whenever a customer gets them.

Even with a reduction in lines, Wildman said people can further reduce waiting times by being prepared before arriving at the bureau.

"The main thing is to read the notice," Wildman said. "That way they know what to bring. Usually when we have to send somebody away, it was something that was preprinted on the renewal notice."

Merrill said the best way to ensure shorter lines is to renew licenses before the last week of the month. This will prevent the $5 fee for late renewals should problems arise, she said.

Her office is open the last Saturday of every month to help people out, but the Department of Revenue itself is not open on Saturdays. Any problem in registration information means waiting until the following Monday.

jwachter@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127