There’s now a lot more activity on the first floor of the Dallas County Courthouse, as two offices transitioned there at the beginning of the week.

As of Tuesday, the east wing of the first floor officially houses the Treasurer’s motor vehicle department, which was moved from the facility it shared with the driver’s license station. Additionally, the Treasurer’s tax department has now taken up residence in the west wing of the first floor, moving from the second floor. Treasurer Mitch Hambleton says it was good for his employees to get into the new spaces, though he knows it could take a while for the public to adjust to the new offices. Hambleton reported that many motor vehicle customers weren’t properly operating the Q-Matic system now being utilized by the department. He admits the system could take some time for people to get used to it, but he’s confident it will drastically cut down on wait times and improve the overall experience for the public.

Meanwhile, there’s still one County function that hasn’t moved yet, as the Recorder’s Office is still located in the east wing of the second floor. That transition is expected to take a while, as physical records are transported down a floor. However, the County expects at least some of the Recorder’s functions to be ready to go in their new location within the next week or so. As for the renovation itself, the contractors Trinity Construction have punch list items to take care of before the County will approve the final pay application, which will include release of retainage.