ERIE COUNTY CLERK KEARNS OPENS TONAWANDA AUTO BUREAU FOR

SATURDAY SERVICE

Erie County remains only county in NY to offer weekend DMV service

Tonawanda, NY- Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns was joined by Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw and Ken-Ton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cathy Piciulo Saturday July 28, 2018 to officially open the Tonawanda Auto Bureau for Saturday service. This is the first expansion of hours at the Erie County Auto Bureaus in more than ten years. The Tonawanda Auto Bureau is the second location in Erie County to open on the weekend, with the Cheektowaga office also offering Saturday hours. The Tonawanda Auto Bureau will now be open Monday through Saturday, and is the only location opened six days a week. Erie is the only county in New York State to offer weekend hours at its Auto Bureaus.

“This is an exciting day for the Clerk’s office and for the people of Erie County,” said Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns. “It is my continued goal to make the services of the Clerk’s Office, including DMV services, more accessible to the public. Today, most people’s lives do not revolve around a nine to five schedule. Expanding our hours to offer additional Saturday service will help relieve the stress customers face to make sure they can get their DMV transaction completed. These new hours will also offer customers another option on the weekend to conduct their transactions, helping to relieve stress on our Cheektowaga office.”

The expansion of weekend Auto Bureau service comes after the Erie County Legislature approved the hiring of eleven additional civil service employees at no cost to taxpayers, in April 2018.

“As the Taxpayer’s watchdog and your CFO, I can tell you that there are few departments that actually make money in County government,” said Erie County Comptroller Stefan I. Mychajliw. “I am one of them, generating $400,000 in revenue through ‘T-Bills’ in just the first five months of the year.  The DMV is another one.  I commend your Erie County Clerk, Mickey Kearns, on his efforts to extend hours and enhance operations at the auto bureaus.  These reforms will keep customers in Erie County and bring in more revenue for the county, while adding convenience for taxpayers.  Opening a Tonawanda DMV on Saturdays is a great accomplishment for Clerk Kearns.”

“I am proud to support Clerk Kearns in extending this terrific service to residents of the Northtowns and surrounding communities,” said Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick. “Few things are more frustrating than waiting in long lines at the DMV, and this will offer a better experience for customers as well as more flexibility around their busy schedules.”

"This is an excellent service and convenience for everyone in the Northtowns communities,” said Ken-Ton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cathy Piciulo. “It will bring additional traffic to the local businesses which is always a good thing in the eyes of the Chamber of Commerce!"

The additional weekend hours will help to relieve the significant volume local Auto Bureaus have been experiencing due to New York State license renewals. On the eight year license renewal cycle, the Erie County Auto Bureaus are entering peak renewal periods this year. From 2017 to 2018, license renewals have jumped from approximately 40,000 to 134,000, a more than 300% increase.

Also driving an increase in the number of transactions is the push to upgrade licenses to meet Real ID standards by 2020. Beginning on October 1, 2020, the federal government will require a driver license, permit or ID card to be REAL ID compliant in order to be able to use it as identification to board a domestic flight (within the U.S.), or enter military bases and certain federal facilities.

Additionally, the expansion of weekend hours at the Tonawanda Auto Bureau will help encourage residents from both Erie County and surrounding counties to Renew Local, helping to keep about $1.5 million in the county.

Finally, starting July 31, 2018 hours at the Cheektowaga Auto Bureau will be adjusted to better accommodate customers. Due to the high volume of transactions conducted in the morning, the Cheektowaga Auto Bureau will now open at 9:00 AM, Tuesday through Friday.

New hours are as follows,

Tonawanda Auto Bureau:

Monday - Friday 9:00 am to 4:45 pm
Saturday 7:00 am to 1:00 pm

Cheektowaga Auto Bureau:

Monday- Closed
Tuesday – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Saturday- 7:00 am to 1:00 p.m.