Broadwater County treasurer and county association refuse to sign state motor vehicle MOU; commissioners table decision

Broadwater County Treasurer Melissa Franks told the board that the Montana Department of Justice Motor Vehicle Division interlocal agreement (MOU DOJ-MVDD-FY202025-0044) would shift ongoing costs and operational responsibilities to counties and that the Montana Treasurers Association is largely refusing to sign.

Franks said the state supplied equipment for a new motor vehicle system but that counties must now supply paper, toner and pay for maintenance and replacement of equipment. She said the state was offering 10 cents per transaction but that the treasurers’ association considers that insufficient. Franks described communication problems with the state’s support process, saying county tickets are often closed before they receive answers and that the backlogged state audit queue had left thousands of titles unreleased since the March go-live.

Deputy Treasurer Brenda Harris gave examples the treasurer’s office has encountered: web renewals that the state now handles but does not mail as expected, resulting in county postage costs and customer complaints; and errors in vehicle classification that altered fee calculations. Franks said there were 3,755 tasks backlogged since March and that the oldest state task was 81 days old as of the meeting.

Commissioners asked for more information and recommended that treasurers pursue one more meeting with the state (scheduled Friday). The board agreed to table the county’s decision on the interlocal agreement so the Treasurer’s Association can meet the state and county attorney Kevin Bratcher can review the documents and advise. The commissioners also asked the treasurer to provide a memo and suggested placing information on the county website and in a local news item to inform residents about delays or service changes.

Franks and deputies said several counties are refusing to sign and that if the MOU remains unsigned the state has threatened to withhold the 10-cent per-transaction payment or, in some communications, to halt certain motor vehicle transactions until an agreement is reached. Commissioners declined to sign the MOU at this meeting and formally tabled the item for a future agenda pending further negotiations and legal review.