Editorial: Losing license center is unfortunate

Talk about it

Finally, after more than a year of trying, it appears the city of Farmington is setting aside its dreams of a license center and deputy registrar’s office in city hall.

The city has made several attempts since legislation was approved to clear the way for the office, which was to be located at Farmington City Hall. But each time there was a barrier the city could not overcome.

Now it appears city leaders are tired of banging their heads against a wall. They’re ready to put this plan aside and move on to other priorities.

City employees put a lot of work into making the license center happen. They had space set aside at city hall and found an outside company to run the facility. Similar arrangements exist in other cities. Still, concerns about the center’s proximity to other license centers, or about the fact the city would not run the operation itself, kept the doors closed.

We understand the city’s decision to move on. It’s hard to keep trying with a project like this when you see little support for the vision you have. But we’re still disappointed things didn’t work out better.

There was a lot of excitement about the license center when it was first proposed. Farmington residents looked forward to being able to get driver’s licenses, license tabs and hunting or fishing licenses without leaving town. The office could have been a benefit for other downtown businesses, too, since it likely would have drawn people to the area.

It’s possible the center could come back somewhere down the line, at a time when the city has time to put together a proposal that can satisfy all of the state’s concerns. We think that would be a good thing.

We believe a licence center would be a good addition to downtown Farmington, and we’re sorry to see this plan fall by the wayside.

Tags: opinion, farmington, government, editorials