By JOHN BINDER
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Drivers may soon be paying more for a driver’s license and any other transaction at the Slidell Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) thanks to an ordinance the Slidell City Council members say will help keep the office open.
Under the proposed ordinance, the Slidell DMV would tack on an additional $3 fee to all transactions in order to keep the Slidell location open after crippling state budget cuts to the department.
However, Slidell resident Fred McDonald said there is no proof that the state is eyeing to close the Slidell DMV, saying that in fact, DMV officials said last year the Slidell location was one of the offices that would not be closed.
McDonald said the proposed ordinance states the new fee is because of a possible closure, but asked for documentation from the City Council on the claim.
“Why would we impose more bills on Slidell when the state should be doing this?” asked McDonald.
McDonald said the additional fee would only further initiate a plan in which city governments pay fully for their DMV offices, rather than the state covering most of the costs. McDonald said the city should not “step in and try to fix this” for the state.
Mandeville’s DMV collects a $3 transaction fee, which it began back in January 2013 in order to keep its doors open.
Last year, DMV Commissioner Stephen Campbell told the City Council that at the time, there were no plans to close the Slidell DMV location.
Annually, the Slidell DMV office takes care of over 80,000 transactions.