The Legislative Oversight Commission on the Department of Transportation Accountability met this afternoon.
First, the commission heard an update on the operations and finances of the Multimodal Division. The aviation grant program is being restructured for a more uniform application process. This took place on November 1, 2023 and will govern all aviation awards in the future.
The commission then heard an update on DOT operations and road maintenance. Seven of the 10 districts have completed all core plan maintenance work for the year and by the end of December, the remaining three districts should have work completed as well. The Division of Highways completed 200 slip-and-slide repairs this year. The weather has allowed for later-than-usual paving. The Department has had a net gain in employees, solved a lot of internal cultural issues, and installed good leadership. The Department has $4 billion in active construction projects underway and just under $1 billion in engineering projects. It is believed that sales taxes would help with funding.
Finally, the commission received an update on the DMV’s electronic titling system. The Department is in the second year of a three-year rollout of electronic liens and titles. All car dealers are using the electronic system. The system has 700 lien holders enrolled and it’s moving forward. The DMV was able to pull 7,000 records from the mainframe system to move into the new system. The processing time for titles has been reduced tremendously. Previously, processing would take anywhere from 45 to 65 days and now it is at about five days with most being processed in real time.
The DMV has the pilot program started for the clearing house with three early adopters in it, including Vroom. It was noted that the DMV is first in a lot of national categories. The Department is in partnership with other state agencies. For example, the DMV was working with the Treasury Office on Unclaimed Property.
