Bonner County considers combining DMV and driver’s license services; assessor studying feasibility

County staff told the Bonner County Board of Commissioners they are exploring whether to consolidate DMV and driver's license functions to better serve residents and possibly retain fee revenue the state currently processes. The HR Director said the assessor and sheriff have been talking about the idea for months and noted that Gooding and Leyda counties in Idaho have already implemented similar changes under a provision of Idaho code permitting alternate forms of government.

"One idea is at least in the Greater Sandpoint area... going over to the mall where DMV already is," the HR Director said, describing the mall as a convenient, spacious location for vehicle inspections and customer service. Staff said template job descriptions are available and the project would combine duties currently handled separately by a DMV clerk and a driver’s license clerk, increasing training and workload expectations for affected clerks.

The assessor is compiling a comprehensive briefing for the board, including proposed job descriptions, compensation and an analysis of whether revenue that now flows to the state could be retained at the county if services are processed locally. HR staff noted it does not yet know exact percentage splits for revenue and intends to collect those details for a future presentation.

No action was taken; staff said they will return with a fully developed proposal so the board can engage in a single, productive decision meeting rather than piecemeal discussions.