Uhrichsville, Dennison mayors say their will work to keep BMV office open

UHRICHSVILLE ‒ The mayors of Uhrichsville and Dennison say they are working on solutions to keep the Uhrichsville office of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles open.

The office is scheduled to close April 27.

In a joint press release, Uhrichsville Mayor Jim Zucal and Dennison Mayor Greg DiDonato said they have reached out to state Rep. Brett Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville, and state Sen. Al Landis, R-Dover, to investigate any and all options available.

The office, located at 206 E. Third St., is operated by the Twin City Chamber of Commerce.

More on closing: Uhrichsville office of Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to close April 27

Lindsey Bohrer, assistant communications director at the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said the chamber had told the BMV that declining revenue and other factors hampered the Chamber's ability to continue to operate the agency. So, the BMV decided to close the office.

Bohrer noted the Uhrichsville deputy registrar location completed a total of 36,513 transactions in 2023, which is among the lowest in the state.

"Many residents in the surrounding area would be impacted by the closing of this facility," Zucal and DiDonato said. "We are working hard to resolve this serious issue. There will be more information to come after exploring any and all options."

The Twin City Chamber of Commerce has operated the license bureau since 1992. A previous license bureau in Uhrichsville was closed in 1989 as part of a state cutback, but it was brought back after lobbying by area leaders, including DiDonato, who was then a state representative.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Uhrichsville, Dennison mayors explore options to keep license bureau