ADEL, Iowa — With Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds poised to approve the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) budget for the 2020 fiscal year, including funding for a new DOT driver’s licensing center in Dallas County, the county supervisors are preparing to see the county treasurer’s office relieved of the licensing function.
The supervisors made a first move in that direction Tuesday when they decided to notify Green Bay, Wis.-based Ambergris LLC, owner of the property at 918 Court St., of their intent to vacate the building when the lease expires April 30, 2020. The county has rented the property since 2008 and used it both to issue driver’s licenses and register vehicles.
The county will pay $3,042 a month in rent during its last year at 918 Court St.
In his November budget proposal, Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe requested $515,000 in operational funds and $350,000 in capital funds for a new Dallas County licensing center. The plan calls for a 5,500-square-foot facility to open by Jan. 1, 2020, with a likely location in the Adel-to-Waukee corridor.
Lowe and Dallas County Treasurer Mitch Hambleton agree the 3,000-square-foot Court Street location no longer meets current needs. The average county treasurer in Iowa issues about 3,500 driver’s licenses and photo IDs a year, but the Dallas County Treasurer’s office now issues about 26,000 a year. The population of Dallas County, which now stands at about 90,000, is projected to grow to about 160,000 people by 2040.
