Cooperstown’s DMV
Is Generating 9 Times
What Oneonta’s Does
By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
COOPERSTOWN – The tallying’s been done, and it determined the county DMV office in Oneonta generates $500,000 in sales-tax revenues annually, a fraction of the $4.5 million equivalent generated in the Cooperstown one, county board Chair David Bliss, R-Cooperstown/Town of Middlefield, said today.
The county keeps only 12.7 percent of those revenues, but the proportion generated by each office shows the relative amount of activity.
Regardless, said Bliss, the state has withheld permission to reopen the county’s Motor Vehicle offices, although all other county offices may reopen, subject to social-distancing restrictions, on Monday, June 8.
He wondered whether the county would ever get permission to reopen either DMV. Up until now, counties that took on responsibilities for the state DMV got a share of state revenues, and the county share has been dropping as more transactions are done online, directly with Albany.
“They want to keep the revenues for themselves,” said Bliss.
County Clerk Kathy Sinnott Gardner generated those numbers at the request of county Rep. Michele Farwell, D-Morris, after Gardner briefed the county board last Wednesday on her decision to close the Oneonta DMV, located on the Westcott Lot level of Old City Hall.
After Gardner’s briefing, county Rep. Andrew Stammel, D-Town of Oneonta, suggested the Oneonta office remain open, rather than Coopertown’s, since it is in the county’s population center, the two colleges are there, and it is proximate to I-88.
Gardner said she would look at the numbers, but she and Bliss said a single office should be located in the county seat, which is also more centrally located within the county.
Bliss said the county clerk estimated each office cost about the same to run, although the Oneonta office required five employees to Cooperstown’s three. Three of the five are being laid off, and the other two transferred to the county seat.
So where are we supposed to go to renew a drivers license if the state doesn’t allow the DMV office to open?
Am I going to get fined for having a CDL license that expired middle of May…Is there an extention on the process of renewing
Well you can renew your drivers license provided ing you don’t need an eye exam done on line. If you need a eye exam you would have to go see a eye doctor and get one done then all you do is summit his or hers information then you will be able to renew it.
If they Close the Oneonta Office which is around the corner from me and more convenient, I hope I can do my business by mail cause I don’t want to travel 30/40 minutes when I had one in my town. Not fair.
What about those people who do not necessarily have online capabilities, do not necessarily drive any great distance, you know – the older general public.
What if you need a new picture for your drivers license for whatever reason. I live in Oneonta – I would have to take a half day off from work to run to Cooperstown to stand in line to get this done (of course hoping the line is not out the door) instead of running into the local one in Oneonta on my lunch hour. Will the state be reimbursing me for my time to do this just so I can do the right thing to maintain my legality? Of course NOT. So I’m now out half a days pay. Will they be instituting a night with late hours? And I’m talking until at least 7:00 or 8:00. Some people work until 6:00. Will they be adding Saturday hours? There is just some stuff that will not be able to be done online or through the mail and will require an in person visit.
One problem is that Cooperstown has VERY limited parking at their DMV office. Will they try to increase the parking for all the new customers ?
Please break that down as to where the revenue comes from…..
Cooperstown is more centrally located within the county-geographically, but as far as infra-structure it is very difficult to get to from many of the counties areas. I would encourage everyone against closing Oneonta office to read Gardner’s whining complaints in 2014 when the board voted to close the Cooperstown office. She complained driving to Oneonta was increasing inconvenient d/t the traffic in the summer. I have news for you…try Cooperstown in the summer. You can’t even find a parking space without getting on a trolley. No one wants to drive to Cooperstown if they don’t have to especially in the summer! She also stated it would be taking a service away from the community. Well, it would certainly be doing the same for Oneonta. We have more car dealerships and people than Cooperstown. I don’t care if the county seat is in Cooperstown. Gardner can commute to Oneonta like the several hundred people do to work at the hospital. Just remember people, these are elected positions. We have the power to vote when our representatives are not representing us for the good and only their personal agendas, such as… not having to commute LOL> PS Lets see that financial record that claims Cooperstown office makes 4.5 million to Oneonta’s 500?!
These numbers don’t sound right. The population of Cooperstown is aprox: 1,700, less than 2000. Whereas Oneonta has nearly 14,000 people. I am just curious how that is possible?
This report is baloney . Oneonta is always busy . You can’t even get in sometimes . This is biased cause someone in Cooperstown wants it there . With all the car dealers in Oneonta , I call foul on this article.
This is all about people in Cooperstown wanting it closer to them . Show on line or for the public the actual record that proves Cooperstown generates more $ than Oneonta . Oneonta has a greatly larger population, a lot more car deal ships , is close to 88 f for Unadilla, Sidney, Morris , Lauren’s, Hartwick ) .
This needs to be looked into further .
Get ready to be voted out by people in Oneonta if this goes through
Who wants to go to that hole Cooperstown in the middle of summer. You should try to drive up rt28 it SUCKS