Why Cumberland County residents could find longer lines at the DMV come December
Cumberland County residents could find themselves with one less license plate agency come Dec. 1 if the Division of Motor Vehicles doesn't find someone to fill that void.
Marty Homan, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, said via email Monday that the operator of the Spring Lake location is retiring.
“We are conducting our background check process before moving forward with selecting a new contractor,” Homan wrote.
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The Department of Transportation said in a June 28 news release that the DMV was seeking a contractor to operate the license plate agency, located at 316C N.C. 210 N. The Spring Lake location has been operated by Troy Townsend since 2017, the release said.
The 127 license plate agencies in North Carolina are overseen by the DMV but are managed by private business owners or local governments, according to the release. The agencies offer vehicle registration services, title transactions, license plate renewals, replacement tags and duplicate registrations, the release said.
Townsend’s contract ends Nov. 30. Homan could not provide an estimate for when a new contractor might step in.
“We are working diligently through our process to have a new contractor in place just as soon as we can,” he said. “We are hopeful that residents there won’t be without an LPA (license plate agency) for too long.”
Homan noted that a new operator could choose to remain at the agency’s current location or move to a new location.
There are still two other license plate agencies in the county. One is at the Eutaw Village Shopping Center, 815 Elm St. in Fayetteville, and the other is at the Hope Mills Shopping Plaza, 3333 N. Main St. in Hope Mills. The Fayetteville location is a 15-minute drive from the Spring Lake agency, while the Hope Mills location is 29 minutes away.
According to the Department of Transportation, the Hope Mills and Fayetteville license plate agencies will be the only remaining locations in Cumberland County if the Spring Lake location closes.
Government watchdog reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Spring Lake's license plate agency could close at end of November
