NM Looks To Upgrade Online Motor Vehicle Services

BARRY MASSEY

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico plans to solicit bids next month for a new computer system for the Motor Vehicle Division, which is part of a blueprint for making the agency more customer friendly through a better use of technology.

"We're embarking on a very ambitious program to create a new and improved MVD around the state," Taxation and Revenue Secretary Rick Homans said in an interview this week.

The current computer is more than 30 years old, and Homans said it doesn't meet the modern needs of the agency.

"It might have worked 30 years ago, but MVD now has to interact with all kinds of databases nationally, databases in the state," he said.

The department has a $20 million yearly budget and 350 employees in offices across the state. The department's responsibilities include issuing driver's licenses and identification cards, registering cars and trucks, maintaining the driving records of New Mexicans and keeping track of whether motorists have required insurance. The agency generates about $400 million in revenues annually through fees and taxes.