RALEIGH – The Council of State will consider at Tuesday’s regular meeting whether a site in Rocky Mount would serve as the headquarters for the state Division of Motor Vehicles starting in late 2020.
The following includes a timeline of the process leading up to tomorrow’s meeting:
Last year, the N.C. General Assembly directed the Division of Motor Vehicles to take steps to vacate the 1100 New Bern Ave., Raleigh, headquarters by Oct. 1, 2020. The directive was included in the 2018 budget bill that became law last summer.\
In addition, the General Assembly directed the Department of Administration to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) by Aug. 1, 2018, seeking leased office space for all DMV staff and contractors currently working at the 1100 New Bern Ave. location. The RFP was required to consider bids for a new site in Wake County and surrounding counties, according to the special budget provision.
The Department of Administration released an RFP that followed the standard process used for state property leases across state government. This open process resulted in eight entities submitting 10 locations.
On Oct. 31, 2018, an NCDOT team reviewed the proposed sites and provided NCDOT Secretary Jim Trogdon with an executive summary and details of the two most competitive bid locations. The property at 1405-1625 N. Church Street, Rocky Mount, was recommended because it was the lowest bid that meets the RFP’s requirements. The annual adjusted average cost for that location will be $2,421,914.86.
As is standard procedure, the proposal will appear on a list of property transactions prepared by the Department of Administration for the Council of State to review on Feb. 5. The Council of State votes on the disposition of all state property and no sales or leases are finalized until the group has voted.
Should the Council of State vote to accept this bid, the N.C. General Assembly will be asked to allocate funding for the move. DMV was allowed to occupy the current headquarters location for five years from the fall of 2015, when the department addressed life safety concerns that had been identified inside the facility.
Should the new lease be approved by the Council of State and the relocation move forward, DMV will work closely with employees who are impacted to ease the transition to the new location.