Grant County decides to keep license bureau as county office and move forward with hiring/appointment process

The Grant County Board voted to continue operating its county license bureau and to move forward with an appointment and hiring process for the bureau’s supervisor/director after a lengthy discussion about options, statutory constraints and local service impacts.

Don, the license bureau director, told the board that the state’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) controls site and director approvals and that relinquishing the office would trigger a competitive DPS process. Don and several commissioners warned that if the county relinquishes the office, the state is not required to re‑establish a local office and the county could lose services such as monthly driver testing.

Several commissioners raised the possibility of a private operator leasing courthouse space, or a hybrid arrangement, but others objected to having private businesses operate on county property. One commissioner said the county should first engage DPS and explore options before making a final decision. The clerk clarified the statutory process and timeline: a notice of intent and resolution timeline would take at least 60 days to complete if the board chose to close the office.

On a motion to move forward with an appointment and hiring process for the supervisor and associated staffing steps, the clerk conducted a roll call that resulted in a 4‑to‑1 vote in favor. The board directed staff to meet with the personnel committee to finalize how the county will advertise or appoint the successor and clarified that keeping the county office requires notifying DPS only when a new director is submitted for appointment and approval.

The decision preserves the existing office and staff in the short term; the personnel committee will return with a recommended process for appointment or advertising and necessary state paperwork.