El Paso County citizens surprised, frustrated by closure of downtown DMV office

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Long lines and system shutdowns are no longer an issue at the downtown office of El Paso County's Department of Motor Vehicles, because that office is now closed.

The office, formerly located in the basement of Centennial Hall, is being used for other purposes; the closure, which happened at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, surprised many citizens for whom the office was a central and convenient location.

The closing was "due to the small size of the office and challenges to keep citizens and staff safe while abiding by health guidelines that were in place at the time," said DMV spokesperson Kristi Ridlen. "The downtown area was not seeing a demand for service in the area with businesses having the ability to work remotely."

To replace some of the services provided by the office, a 24-hour kiosk was installed outside the entrance to Centennial Hall, on Cascade Avenue.

However, the kiosk occasionally doesn't work properly, or at all; an "Out of Order" sign was placed on the machine Monday.

The office closure is inconvenient, some citizens said, for those who took time out of their day, or planned ahead, to conduct business there.

Chuck Broerman, the county's clerk and recorder, said that a downtown DMV office could return in the future.

"Finding the right space is hard, with everything going on downtown," he said. "And finding enough staff is a challenge also. We're eight people short at the bigger and busier Citizens Service Center on Garden of the Gods Road."

More than 30 DMV services are available online, and Ridlen said that citizens are strongly recommended to access those services by visiting: http://mydmv.colorado.gov.

The county has a total of 11 DMV office or kiosk locations. For more information, visit: https://clerkandrecorder.elpasoco.com/motor-vehicle-department/.