Lines have been getting out of hand at some license centers, so Sherburne County is getting proactive.
ELK RIVER, Minn. — Monday was a good day at the Sherburne County License Center, and Ghislain Ndike couldn’t have been happier about it.
The Sherburne County resident filled out an application, snapped a new license photo and took an eye test all in the span of about 20 minutes, sending him home with a REAL ID on the way in six to eight weeks.
“It went well,” Ndike said as he left the government center. “Pretty straight forward process.”
But the lines aren’t always so favorable. On Facebook, our followers have told us all kinds of stories about long waits at the license center; one user said she went to her local center four times and found that the wait was more than two hours each time.
So, despite a light Monday afternoon at the counter, Sherburne County has decided to be proactive.
“We are looking at a new process,” county auditor/treasurer Diane Arnold said, “which is called Qmatic.”
“Qmatic” — that’s a software system authorized by the county Board of Commissioners for more than $71,000 back in December, according to meeting minutes. The electronic kiosk will replace the old “red ticket dispenser” system — the kind you usually see at the grocery store — by allowing customers to choose which ID they want to apply for and learn about which documents they will need. They’ll also receive an estimated wait time, which allows them to leave and come back if they have errands to run instead of sitting on a bench for hours at a time.
Sherburne County hopes to have the technology in place in just a few months.
“We are hoping that’s going to help these folks be able to gauge their time, “Arnold said. “We’re hoping to streamline.”
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Washington County, Stearns County and Hennepin County all use similar systems already. Although it won’t cut down the lines entirely, it may help things run smoothly with an estimated 3.7 million people in Minnesota still needing to make a decision on REAL ID. Roughly 11 percent are compliant with the law that takes effect in October, according to the Department of Public Safety.
“I needed to get it done,” said Keri Christ, who updated her license on Monday afternoon as well. “I didn’t want to wait until October, when it’ll be really crazy.”
