Stein opposes NC auditor’s proposed DMV restructure

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein opposes a reorganization of the Department of Motor Vehicles that would make it a standalone agency, his office indicated Tuesday.

A day after the release of State Auditor Dave Boliek’s report recommending to split off the DMV from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, his report has drawn mixed reactions, particularly among Democratic officials and state government employees.

Boliek argued in the 435-page audit report that operating as a standalone agency would better allow the DMV to make budget and staffing requests directly to the governor and the General Assembly and engage in statewide planning.

A spokesperson for Stein wrote in a statement that he would not support the split, citing cost and logistical hurdles.

“The Governor appreciates the Auditor taking the time to produce a comprehensive report on the DMV,” the spokesperson wrote. “While our office agrees with many of the findings and DMV is already working on improvements, we also believe any restructuring would be costly and time-consuming and would distract from our shared goal of fixing the most critical issues at the DMV.”

That position echoes the rationale under which DMV Commissioner Paul Tine and Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins opposed the proposal. In a seven-page response to the audit, they wrote that “enhanced collaboration between the DOT and the DMV is essential to accelerating progress on key customer experience and operational efficiency initiatives.”

“Separating would require significant resources and would distract from efforts to improve customer experience and operations at DMV,” they wrote. “DMV faces budgetary constraints that could be more effectively solved with other mechanisms.”

Ardis Watkins, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, also shared reservations about the recommendation in an interview with NC Newsline.

“I’m afraid the next thing is going to be a march towards some kind of privatization, which doesn’t help anybody, especially the taxpayers, who would pay more under a privatized scheme,” Watkins said. Republicans in the General Assembly have long wanted to privatize the agency.

She said her organization appreciates the efforts Boliek took to contact workers and highlight their concerns, particularly around low pay and workplace safety, but she said those takeaways should have been the key message of the report, rather than the restructuring recommendation. What matters is that the legislature act to remedy pay and staffing issues, she said.

“The legislature has sole control over how many people work at DMV. That’s the way it is, statutory authority lies with the legislature. They have sole control over pay increases for state employees, including DMV employees,” Ardis said. “I hope that not only will the legislature hear Auditor Boliek, that we need more people and we need to pay them enough to keep them, but I hope they’ll understand this goes beyond DMV.”

Wayne Goodwin, the former head of the DMV appointed by former Gov. Roy Cooper, wrote on social media that he felt “vindication at today’s news,” with many of Boliek’s findings echoing concerns he raised.

“My hope is that all the stakeholders — especially the Legislature — will *work together* with others and *not attack, belittle, demonize, point fingers at, and politicize* an agency, its dedicated workers, and its agency leaders whose mutual aims are to provide secure credentials in an efficient manner, reduce lines, and shrink wait times,” Goodwin wrote.

North Carolina GOP Chair Jason Simmons said in a press release that the state of the agency is an indictment on Cooper’s tenure, as the former governor’s Senate campaign kicks into gear.

“Auditor Boliek and his team are revealing mismanagement of this agency under the tenure of Roy Cooper,” Simmons said. “We greatly appreciate Auditor Boliek’s effort to deliver on a campaign promise to clean up state government. As for Cooper, once again we see he was more concerned with the needs of left-wing special interests than the people of North Carolina.”

In a press conference presenting the report Monday, Boliek attributed blame for staffing and technology issues to past leadership, though not just to Cooper.

“I would assume that if the governor had been paying attention to what was going on previously, that something would have been done to assist the DMV,” he said. “Multiple governors have known about this.”

Stein’s office wrote that “with the right leadership and follow-through, we will get results,” expressing support for Tine as the DMV’s new head.

“We are already impressed with the speed at which Commissioner Tine and his team are making much-needed improvements,” Stein’s spokesperson wrote. “We look forward to continued partnership with DOT, DMV, and the Auditor’s Office to reduce wait times and deliver a better customer experience.”