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DDS commissioner details staffing, security and card‑production requests in amended budget
Summary
Department of Driver Services Commissioner Frank Gin told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee the agency needs modest one‑time salary supplements, funding for federal‑mandate notifications, expanded card production and armed guard services to keep pace with record transaction volumes and Real ID requirements.
Department of Driver Services Commissioner Frank Gin told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation that the agency’s amended budget seeks targeted funding to respond to sharply higher customer volumes and ongoing technology investments.
Gin said DDS now manages over 9 million valid drivers, roughly 400,000 commercial drivers and more than 600,000 mobile driver's license users. The agency reported serving about 4.1 million customers last year, with peak‑day traffic of roughly 16,000 customers at some locations. Gin credited kiosks and online services with reducing wait times — the agency’s average wait time last year was about six minutes — but said higher volumes have increased back‑office and card production workloads.
On line items, Gin outlined the administration requests: $114,000 (line 118.1) for one‑time salary supplements, $150,000 (118.2) to comply with federal commercial‑driver mandates and notification costs (including work tied to FMCSA registries), and an employer‑contribution reduction reflecting changes in the state health plan (118.3). For the license‑issuance program, DDS seeks $1.7 million (119.1) for one‑time salary supplements, $1.3 million (119.2) to cover higher transaction volume and card production, and $150,000 (119.3) to continue armed guard services at five locations where staff safety risks have been documented.
A DDS budget official explained the personnel request covers both reduced turnover and sustained higher headcount: the agency reported moving from roughly 76% turnover to about 38% and now staffs substantially more positions than in prior funding baselines. The official also said card production is following an upward trend tied to expirations and Real ID processing; DDS projects roughly 1.1 million customers will be served through online services and about 2.9 million face‑to‑face interactions in the year cited.
On capital and bonds, Gin listed requests that include equipment and facility updates (examples shown in the agency track sheet: $1 million for time clock and equipment replacements, $1 million for physical security upgrades and $430,000 for counter replacements statewide). He closed by thanking the committee and answering members’ questions about timing and cost estimates for local projects.
The subcommittee pressed DDS for more detailed breakdowns of the large personal‑services delta in the agency’s amended budget; DDS said some of the increase reflects positions that were staffed but not previously budgeted, as well as a carryover shortfall from prior years’ salary supplement estimates. The committee did not take a formal vote during this hearing. The agency will return follow‑up information addressing requested line‑by‑line clarifications.
