By Wright County Communications
There was a time that going to the Wright County License Center was more of an ordeal than anything else. Lines would routinely stretch down the narrow hallway of the old Government Center in downtown Buffalo and it wasn’t unusual to be stuck standing behind other customers for 30-60 minutes – even if your transaction was something as simple as renewing license tabs that would only take a couple of minutes to complete.
For a critical office in the Government Center – most people have their only interactions with county government at the License Center – having a larger, more streamlined way to serve customers is a far cry from the cramped solo line at the old building.
“We’re no longer ‘in the basement’ – as many who used our old location would say,” License Center Supervisor Jessie Gadach said. “We have a beautiful and bright new space located conveniently off the parking lot with our own doors for easy access. The lobby setup allows for customers to take a seat while they wait with the option for vending machines and a restroom all in one general location. Customers complained about wishing they had a vending option or could step off the line to use a restroom while they waited. We incorporated both those suggestions into our new space. Our waiting room seats about 60 people and we have filled all those seats a few times.”
The License Center has 10 staff members to assist customers that help serve approximately 6,000 customers a month. In 2021 – the last full year in the old Government Center – the License Center processed 61,000 transactions. In 2023 – the first full year in its new location – staff processed 75,000 transactions, which represents a 23 percent increase in two years.
Among the new services provided are a drive-thru option during regular business hours, a testing station for written driver’s testing and a 24-hour drive-up drop box at the entrance to the county campus where staff process license tab renewals and mail them out the next day (as opposed to taking a month to receive back from the state).
The larger space has allowed staff to separate different transactions performed in the License Center thanks to a technology upgrade. When people arrive in the License Center, they are directed to kiosk that assigns them a number and window to go to when they’re called. The change has made the operation markedly faster and more productive.