State could extend DL testing
Published 9:08 pm Monday, March 9, 2009
The long lines of people waiting to take their driver’s license test in the Chilton County Courthouse may be getting shorter soon.
The state Department of Public Safety Driver License Division wants to extend the days of testing offered here from two to four, Chilton County Probate Judge Bobby Martin said yesterday.
Only one problem: the room where the written tests are administered is not big enough.
“It would help our fiasco we have here every Monday and Tuesday if they could get a bigger room,” Martin told the county commission.
Currently, testing is administered Mondays and Tuesdays from 9-11:30 a.m., and from 1-3:30 p.m. The hours would likely remain the same regardless of the number of testing days.
If the proposed changes were made, the state would continue to assign a person to administer the testing. The location does not have to be in the courthouse, Martin said, but needs to be secure.
“It would increase traffic if they were here four days a week,” he said.
Because of similar overcrowding problems in neighboring counties, that change would likely bring traffic from Shelby and Coosa counties, thus bringing more revenue into the area.
“We get $1.50 per driver’s license issued,” Martin noted.
One possible location mentioned in the meeting was the basement of the tag office, which is being used for storage. Another option was to ask the city about possibly using City Hall.
In other business yesterday, the commission requested an audit of the Chilton County Humane Society and that Board president Tina Thomas be present at a commission meeting as soon as possible.
The commission also:
granted Minooka Park Manager Gerald Arrington authority to proceed with a trail-building project made possible through an off-highway vehicle grant
transferred three light bars previously used on sheriff’s vehicles to the Road Department at the request of Sheriff Kevin Davis
approved a yearly maintenance contract on cell doors at the County Jail for $10,000
transferred Travis Wimbush from part-time to full-time to fill a vacancy in the Sheriff’s Department (Bobby Agee abstained due to the possible appearance of conflict of interest)
reappointed Glenn Pencoe, Billy Singleton and Keith Jackson to the Chilton Airport Authority
entered into executive session at the request of Joe Headley for the discussion of good name and character
moved to have a financial statement presented at each meeting for the benefit of commissioners.