Third Springfield licensing office opens

Carter runs a licensing office in Ozark and the former state-run office in downtown Springfield, 149 Park Central Square, Room 116.

In a cost-cutting move earlier this year, the state moved operations of its 11 motor vehicle and driver license offices to private contractors. The last of the state-run offices – which lost a combined $2.5 million in fiscal year 2004, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue – was converted Aug. 29 in downtown Kansas City.

Springfield financial adviser Ben Newhouse operates the Glenstone contract office at 1534 S. Glenstone, which opened in May. Both Carter and Newhouse have ties to Gov. Matt Blunt’s election campaign; Carter was campaign co-coordinator for Christian County.

Department of Revenue spokeswoman Maura Browning, said the state contracts simply award the right to run the office and do not guarantee the agents any income.

“There is no state money that is being shuttled to contract agents for them to run the office,” Browning said. “Their profit is entirely predicated on how well they run that office and how many people they get in the door.”

Browning said the third Springfield office was added for convenience to south Springfield residents. The South Fremont office is open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.–noon Saturday.

Browning wasn’t aware if Carter or the state initiated the opening. Carter could not be reached for comment.

There are now 184 contract licensing offices in the state.

For more information about the new licensing office, see the Sept. 19 issue of SBJ.