The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
County asks agency to maintain operations in the valley
By Adam Broderick
The driver’s license office in Gunnison has been renting office space in the Blackstock Government Center for just $152.80 per month since 2005. Gunnison County gave the Colorado Department of Revenue, which oversees state driver’s license operations, an exceptional deal on rent but the office’s business spills out into the main lobby and impacts other county services operating out of the building. The noise and crowds affect the neighboring treasurer’s and assessor’s office and county staff is struggling to provide the quality service their customers deserve.
Last September, the Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners sent a letter to the Colorado Department of Revenue saying the driver’s license office must find a new space to conduct business by the end of 2015. But it seems the office has made little to no effort searching for a new location in Gunnison and is uninterested in paying more than $152.80 per month to lease any new space. County staff has made numerous attempts to assist the office in finding a new location but as of print time this week still had no response to the original notice sent over three months ago.
As stated in the letter sent to the state on September 14, 2015, “It is time for your agency to move forward and secure a location that better suits your needs. By December 31, 2015 of this year we need to know that you have secured a location…” The letter continued, “We understand that there may be a delay in gaining occupancy and we are willing to work with you, but in all cases your last day in our facility [will] be February 28, 2016.”
Gunnison County has made it clear that the office will not find suitable office space for such a low rental rate—not in Gunnison, nor anywhere in Colorado. After speaking with the governor’s office in Denver, county commissioner Jonathan Houck said the narrative was along the lines of, “We looked for a place in Gunnison and there’s no place to rent.” But according to the most recent letter sent to the state on December 22, 2015, county staff has offered to personally take state staff on tours of available resources in Gunnison and has also reminded the office it needs to be open to paying a fair and market-appropriate rate for office space.
“We sent a letter in September asking they make us aware of what their plan is by December,” Houck told the Crested Butte News. “We have not heard back from them. Working with the governor’s office, John Swartout came to us and asked how he could help. I told him there are lots of places available. We also ask in the [December 22] letter that they continue providing service in Gunnison. The discussion I had with the state was, ‘I’ve got ADA bathrooms and all the utilities you need. It’s $850 [per month].’ They said that was too much.”
County staff told the Department of Revenue in the most recent letter that it’s beginning to seem like the agency is preparing to withdraw from Gunnison altogether under the guise of no available space for rent. The agency is being asked to commit to maintaining an office in the Gunnison Valley and a minimum level of service. If the office pulls out of Gunnison, citizens will have to drive at least 140 miles round-trip to Montrose to obtain or renew a driver’s license.
