Big changes could be coming for motorists in Dallas County seeking driver’s license services, with a potential DOT station on the horizon.

Anyone who has visited the current Treasurer’s Office driver’s license station in Adel can tell you it’s not very convenient, due to it being crowded at virtually all times of day. Treasurer Mitch Hambleton says while plans are in motion to free up space in the building by moving the County’s Department of Motor Vehicles to the courthouse, even bigger changes could be coming. The Iowa Department of Transportation recently made a budget proposal to the Governor’s Office to open a DOT driver’s license service center in Dallas County.

Hambleton says since 2015, his station has served seven-times the average of all other county treasurer’s offices, which is becoming more imbalanced as the population in Dallas County swells. “The driver’s license department in Dallas County, we are the largest license issuers of all the counties in the state. Year to date, since July 1st, we’ve issued just right at 11,000 driver’s licenses. As a comparison, the Council Bluffs and Ames DOT driver’s license stations are each around 8,000. So we’re 30-35% larger than very a good-sized DOT station! So driver’s license folks, they need some more space.”

The new DOT station will be considered during the next legislative session, but Hambleton says several representatives have offered support and he believes Governor Kim Reynolds will be supportive as a former county treasurer herself. The best case scenario would have the center open as early as January 2020. As far as a location, Hambleton says it would most likely be between Adel and Waukee, but the Department of Administrative Services will make the ultimate decision on that. He adds, the DOT station would be able to offer a lot more services than the treasurer’s office can, and his office would cease those operations. However, the County DMV would continue operating as normal.

To hear more from Hambleton, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.