18 to accommodate scheduling for driver's license services and appointments, which can be booked for Nov. Holly Smith, spokeswoman for the tax collector's office, said the calendar will open up Oct. Inside at the driver's license office, it's walk-in only for now, though that will be short-lived.įLHSMV has been operating both sites as walk-in only since July 1, which has led some residents to complain about lines and lengthy waits.Ī representative for the agency did not respond to a reporter before deadline Monday. "We definitely encourage online, but we are still seeing a lot of people coming in," he said. With that in mind, Roberts said he'd like to see more folks take advantage of the services being offered online, which covers many of the simpler needs like tag renewals, tax bills and many driver's license needs. Roberts offered a friendly reminder that anybody who pays Volusia County property tax bills in November will receive a 4% discount. What lies ahead for the tax collector?Ī busy season lies ahead for the tax collector's office, with property taxes soon due. Roberts said the labor market is tough right now. They had 56 on staff in January and have 68 positions today, though six are unfilled. The personnel budget alone has been projected to increase more than $4.5 million.īy the time the full takeover of state services is complete, Roberts said they'll have 96 employees, a third of whom will be employed in the driver's license offices. The county had been budgeting about $4 million per year for the office prior to the transition.Ī large chunk of the increased costs has been to fund the cost of taking over driver's license services, which the state mandated they assume responsibility for. The Volusia County tax collector has a $10 million operating budget for the fiscal year that began Friday. Miami-Dade and Broward counties were given until January 2025 to complete their transitions. The county sued to avoid Amendment 10's changes, but was overruled in circuit court. Volusia County already had a sheriff, supervisor of elections, clerk of courts and property appraiser, but it was one of three counties without a tax collector. In 2018, Florida voters passed Amendment 10, which included a requirement that each of the state's 67 counties elect five independent constitutional officers. "We’re doing all kinds of things just to spruce it up a little bit. We’ve got the painters in there, we’re installing handicap door access," Roberts said on Monday. We’ve got all kinds of contractors in there. Roberts explained the temporary closure was necessary to reorganize, change over the network and security systems, and onboard former state employees on new procedures. The Orange City driver's license office has been closed since Thursday afternoon to facilitate the transition. "We’re planning on assuming those services in January," Roberts said. The driver's license office in South Daytona will remain under the control of the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for now. "We are gladly taking them over because we think we can provide great customer service and hopefully change the way people perceive government service in Volusia County," Roberts said. Will Roberts, the first tax collector elected in Volusia County in 50 years, will assume control of the driver's license services in Orange City beginning at 8 a.m. When the driver's license office in Orange City opens Wednesday morning, it will be in new hands.
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