Legislature Works to Reopen Golden Valley DMV

The following content was written by Golden Valley and is a combination of two posts on the city's site:

Golden Valley’s Motor Vehicle Licensing Department has been closed almost a year, and getting it re-opened has been the City’s number one priority and top legislative goal. Pending legislation may help make that a reality.

A former City of Golden Valley Motor Vehicle Licensing employee was charged by the Hennepin County Attorney with three felonies, including theft by swindle, theft of public funds, and failure to pay over state funds. Charges also include two gross misdemeanor counts of misconduct of a public officer or employee.

was arrested by the Golden Valley Police March 28, 2011 and released March 31, 2011, pending an investigation. Olson’s employment with the City of Golden Valley was terminated March 31, 2011.

In response to the discovery of Olson’s alleged theft and procedural violations, the City closed the Motor Vehicle Licensing Department April 1, 2011 and hired an independent auditor to review all policies, procedures, and internal controls.

With Minnesota’s 2012 legislative session well under way, the City was successful in getting a legislative bill passed by unanimous vote in both the House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee.

The bill would allow the City to provisionally re-open its Vehicle Licensing Department, pending results of the State Driver and Vehicle Services Division’s (DVS) review that is in progress.

Chief authors of the bill were Golden Valley area legislators, including Senator Ann Rest; Representatives Ryan Winkler, Lyndon Carlson, Sr, and Sandra Peterson; as well as Representative Michael Beard, who is chair of the House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee; and Senator Joe Gimse, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. Senator Ron Latz provided support and assistance with arranging meetings.

The next step in the process is for the bill to be voted on by both the full House and Senate. If both vote to pass the bill, Governor Dayton would have the opportunity to sign the bill into law or veto it. Should Governor Dayton sign the bill, the City will work closely with DVS to develop a schedule to re-open the Golden Valley Vehicle Licensing Department in a timely manner.