July 10, 2003 – The Motor Vehicle Bureau on St. Thomas was back in full swing on Thursday after being unable to process vehicle registration paperwork for two weeks because of a computer glitch.
Director Lawrence Olive said the computer problem caused a paperwork backlog, but by mid-afternoon Thursday, most people who had been waiting for their vehicle registration paperwork had picked them up.
"The ladies worked very fast to get things in place," he said, noting that the problem affected about 500 registrations.
Meanwhile, Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg suggested that the MVB become a semi-autonomous agency.
He said would propose a bill to change the bureau's status. The bill is now being written.
The MVB now comes under the Police Department's purview. Police Department spokesman Sgt. Thomas Hannah could not be reached for comment.
Donastorg said in a news release that with semi-autonomy, the bureau would be able to decide when to buy equipment and supplies because it would control its own funds. Therefore, it would be able to render better service to the public. "They now have to wait for appropriations," he said.
Donastorg said that while the Motor Vehicle Bureau now generates about $10 million a year in revenues, that the figure could be upped to $15 million with semi-autonomy.
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