Politics & Government

RMV Branches Could Be Consolidated into Regional Centers

The Milford branch office would be among the local offices closed under a consolidation plan.

The state Registry of Motor Vehicles may consolidate all but four of its branch offices, creating instead 12 regional centers that would serve state customers. A new document outlining potential regionalization and other proposals was presented to the department's board of directors last week.

The consolidation, conceptual at this point, is designed to increase efficiency and improve customer service, including wait times. The proposed regional centers, including in Framingham, would place the RMV offices into larger buildings with more desks and employees than the branch offices, according to a report on the proposed consolidation.

"[The plan is a] concept for the future of the RMV including improving technology, developing new third party partnerships and exploring a move toward branch regionalization in order to better serve the customer. Branch closures or new openings are not imminent," said DOT spokesperson Sara Lavoie on Monday. "This is a concept that is years away from reality. It was presented to the Board of Directors on Wednesday (July 17) and it was well received and further analysis will be done on the regionalization concept."

As part of the modernization plan, the RMV would phase out some in-person functions, including registration renewals.

The Milford branch, on Beach Street, is among the local offices that would be closed, if the conceptual plan is approved. Its 15 employees would be transferred to other centers, depending on demand, according to the report.

All but four of the existing 30 branches — in Greenfield, Nantucket, on Martha's Vineyard and in Boston — would close under the consolidation plan.

In addition to Framingham, 11 regional centers would be opened in Barnstable, New Bedford, Raynham, Braintree, Burlington, Haverhill, Lowell, Worcester, Leominster, Springfield and Pittsfield.

"These locations are only suggestions, but we believe that they are ideal," the report states. "All are positioned near major metropolitan areas, along key highways, and within RTA or MBTA service areas. They are also distributed evenly enough to place most Massachusetts' residents within 15-20 miles of an RMV branch."

Milford would be served by the Central Massachusetts regional centers, in Leominster, Framingham or Worcester.

The proposal is part of a report "Modernizing the Registry of Motor Vehicles" released following a July 17 meeting of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board of directors. According to a spokeswoman, the report was "well received and further analysis will be done on the regionalization concept."

The branch closures, if approved, would be several years away, noted MassDOT spokeswoman Sara Lavoie, in an email message.


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