DMV Delays Closing Of Branches, Including Old Saybrook

The state Department of Motor Vehicles announced Thursday that it will not close its Old Saybrook branch and other offices on Aug. 11 as originally planned.

Instead, the department has delayed the closings and associated layoffs until Aug. 19 and 20, in the hopes that state employee unions will ratify a proposed deal.

“While we await the outcome of the unions second vote, we have determined that closing and reopening will cost the state money that should be saved. So, we are delaying both of these actions for a few weeks,” said Commissioner Melody A. Currey in a press release.
“At the time of announcing the closings, we did not know if a second vote would occur. Now that it is actually underway, we think it is prudent to put on hold these actions until the outcome of that vote is better known,” she said.

If the offices were closed next week as planned, and the agreement with state employee unions is then ratified and the offices reopened, it would cost the state $500,000 including facility relocation costs, leasing costs, unused vacation and sick time pay-outs to employees, as well as unemployment costs, the press release said.

The proposed closings affected the full-service branch offices in Enfield, Danbury, Old Saybrook and New Britain. They also involved the Putnam Satellite office as well as the photo license centers in Derby, Middletown and Milford. These closings and the respective layoffs of employees working in them have been delayed until Saturday, Aug. 20, the last day of the work week for  branch office employees.  Layoffs of employees in DMV’s Wethersfield headquarters have been put off until Friday, August 19, the last day of their work week.