Legislators oppose BMV branch closing: The entire Duneland legislative delegation was on hand Tuesday expressing opposition to the closing of the Chesterton Bureau of Motor Vehicles license branch. State Representative Ralph Ayres (standing in left photo) spoke, as did State Senator Rose Antich, State Representative Charlie Brown and State Representative Dwayne Cheney. Community is growing: Chesterton Town Council president (right) Mike Bannon listed a variety of reasons the license branch should not be closed, noting especially the rapid population growth in the area. (Tribune photos by Margaret L. Willis)

By VICKI URBANIK

Public officials, long-time local residents, newcomers and out-of-towners alike sent a strong message to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Wednesday night:

Keep the Chesterton license branch open.

About 175 people turned out for the BMV’s public hearing on the decision to place the Chesterton branch on a list of 24 statewide for possible closure. The two-hour hearing, held at Chesterton Middle School, was chaired by BMV Commissioner Joel Silverman, who said a final decision on the branch closing will be announced by mid-July after he conducts the first round of hearings.

Silverman opened Wednesday’s hearing by citing the BMV’s deficiencies, such as not being able to answer one-third of the phone calls that come in and spending hours to retrieve records on the obsolete microfiche system. Indiana has more license branches than every state except for California and Texas, he said, and the branch closings will free up an estimated $7 million a year that could be spent on other state needs.

“Do we want to spend money on license branches or roads?” he asked.

Silverman further argued that one-half of BMV transactions can be done by mail or on-line, that the state is now issuing drivers licenses every six years instead of four, and that a proposal by Gov. Mitch Daniels could lead to car dealers issuing titles, in turn eliminating 23 percent of current BMV business.

“The days of branches as the primary way to do business with the BMV is declining,” he said.

But residents were hardly swayed.

Speaker after speaker took to the microphone to implore Silverman to keep the Chesterton branch open. In all, 44 people made their case.

Common themes among the audience was that it makes no sense to close a branch in a rapidly growing community and force residents to drive to Portage or Valparaiso -- especially when the region has been federally designated as non-attainment for ozone.

On the latter point, State Rep. Ralph Ayres, R-Chesterton, suggested that the state might have to do a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-required mitigation plan, since the branch closing will force people to drive farther distances in a non-attainment area.

Several residents praised the Chesterton BMV staff as friendly and efficient, while others noted that not everyone can or wants to do their BMV business on-line. Several speakers raised concerns about how the new state law requiring government-issued ID cards for voting would affect the waiting time at license branches.

Silverman ended the hearing with the observation that residents say they don’t want to drive farther to other license branches, but they still choose to drive to the local branch instead of doing their BMV business by mail or on-line.

“It’s very confusing to me. I’m struggling to understand,” he said.

His straightforward response prompted a sharp rebuttal from State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, who described Silverman as having a condescending attitude. “I just cannot appreciate your tone of voice,” Brown said.

Politics?

Several speakers didn’t lose sight of the recent news stories that state officials have openly acknowledged that the license branch in Hope, Ind. will remain open only because it’s in the district of State Sen. Robert Garton, an ally of Daniels’ legislative initiatives.

The Hope branch is ranked 159th in number of transactions out of 168 branches. Chesterton is ranked 81st.

“It has been totally politicized,” said Brown. The question that many lawmakers will ask is: “If you did it for Bob Garton, why can’t you do it for my district as well?”

Former county council member Barb Stroud said she hopes local legislators’ stature isn’t the criteria the BMV is using. But if it is, she said, then the BMV should consider that Ayres and Brown are among the long-serving state legislators.

“If this is being done for political reasons, shame on you, commissioner,” added Mary Fox.

State Rep. Duane Cheney, D-Portage, noted that in three of the four last election cycles, Porter County had the highest voter turnout in the state, as he reminded the BMV that for many people, this is their first real contact with the Mitch Daniels administration.

“People remember things that affect their daily lives,” Cheney said.

A Growing Community

“Commissioner Silverman, we believe you need to do your homework,” said Chesterton Town Council President Mike Bannon.

Bannon citing a downstate newspaper report that quoted Silverman as saying the branch closings are intended to divert more funds to growing areas. Bannon, in turn, cited census figures showing that Chesterton’s population grew from 10,488 in 2000 to 11,319 just three years later and projections show that the growth will continue.

People who come to the Chesterton branch patronize downtown businesses, said attorney Charles Lukmann, president of the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce. Closing the branch runs counter to the state government’s goals of improving local economies and air quality, he said.

The whole closure idea should be tossed “if the state government does anything other than pay lip service to economic development,” Lukmann said

Similarly, attorney Michael Harris said governmental services in north Porter County have been increasing -- not decreasing -- due to the growth in the area.

“You will be the first government agency to abandon this community. Do not do it,” he said.

Along those same lines, North Porter County Commissioner John Evans said: “I don’t think government should be in the business of taking services away when they’re so necessarily needed.”

Chesterton A Gem

Several speakers made it clear that closing the Chesterton branch wasn’t just about losing a convenience.

“Time is money,” Ayres said.

Ayres clocked his travel times earlier in the day: It takes 24 minutes in normal afternoon traffic to get from Chesterton to the Portage branch. From Beverly Shores to Portage, it takes 49 minutes, or 25.78 miles. With the price of gas as high as it is, that would cost $4.60 for a round-way trip to the license branch, he said.

Ayres said unlike other parts of the state, the Chesterton area has many people who work 12-hour shifts and those who take the South Shore into Chicago for their jobs. Closing the Chesterton branch would overwhelm the Saturdays at the other two branches, he said, since that is the only time many people can get out to the license branch.

Judy Faulkner said many seniors don’t have access to the Internet. She does, however, and she renewed her plates on-line when she was in Florida. But when she returned home, she found that the online process wasn’t complete, so she ended up going in person to get her plates --- and pay a late fee.

William Cantrell said he feels the new voter ID law is very discriminatory. But by closing license branches, he said the state will make harder it for people to get their voter ID.

Later, Silverman said the branch closings shouldn’t have any impact on compliance with the new photo ID law. He said there are actually more IDs issued than there are people in Indiana, and that it’s practically impossible to find someone who doesn’t have at least one photo ID.

Several speakers relayed horror stories about dealing with the branches in Valparaiso and Portage, with their crowded conditions, lack of parking and long wait times.

The Chesterton staff, by contrast, was warmly praised by several speakers.

“They’re friendly. They’re helpful. They’re on the ball. They know what they’re doing,” said Naomi Tavernier.

“I don’t want to go anyplace else,” said Patricia Carlisle, who said she’s never been treated better at any other license branch than in Chesterton.

Similarly, Jeff Ard said he’s from Valparaiso, but that he comes to Chesterton to do his BMV business because the wait time in Valpo is too long.

The Portage branch is so packed at times that the air stinks, said D.C. Bender, prompting laughs. “You put enough of us together, and we stink.”

Non-attainment

Because of this area’s non-attainment status, Ayres said the BMV might have to come up with a mitigation plan, which is required for proposals that increase traffic.

No other county slated to have its license branch closed is in a non-attainment area, he noted.

Many counties facing a branch closing will certainly argue many of the points made in Chesterton, said Jeff Trout, a Chesterton Plan Commission member. But Chesterton stands out as unique on several fronts: the steady growth, the work shifts, and the air quality problems.

“I think the non-attainment issue cannot be avoided,” he said.

Instead of closing a needed license branch, State Sen. Rose Antich-Carr called on the state to crack down on Illinois residents who move here but keep their Illinois plates. She suggested boosting the fine to $5,000 to get people to take notice.

“They’ll get their plates in Indiana, and you’ll get your money,” she said.

Posted 6/30/2005