County approves personnel actions and a one-day closure for statewide vehicle-registration software conversion

The Fall River County Board of Commissioners approved a personnel promotion and a new hire in county administration and agreed to close vehicle-registration windows for one day to accommodate a statewide software conversion.

Treasurer Theresa Pullen asked commissioners to approve upgrading Morgan Erickson to deputy director at the union contract rate ($18.35 per hour was cited as the correct union rate) and to hire Jennifer Bings as an administrative assistant at $16 per hour starting Jan. 21. Commissioners moved and seconded both personnel actions and approved them by voice vote.

Pullen also reported the state is deploying new vehicle-registration software that will go live Feb. 18, requiring a statewide system shutdown beginning Feb. 14. She requested that Fall River County suspend public vehicle-registration services that day so staff can perform the data reconciliation required by the state rollout; she said staff will remain in the office to perform the work but the public windows would be closed. Commissioners approved the one-day closure, and staff said they will publish notices on the county website, Facebook, and in the local newspaper to alert the public.

Pullen said the county’s replacement computers had been procured in a prior cycle and that future computer replacement planning is budgeted on a multiyear cycle rather than a single-year spike. No vote was required for technology planning; the board approved the personnel actions and the requested one-day service suspension by voice votes.