Orange County Clerk Kelly Eskew on April 13 introduced a new mobile Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office to provide motor vehicle-related services to residents in underserved areas.
“Over the past year, our goal has been customer service, and this mobile DMV office will help us deliver that conveniently and accessibly,” Eskew said at a news conference in Goshen.
The mobile unit will deliver services to areas farther out from the county government center in Goshen and two satellite DMV offices in Middletown and Newburgh.
Eskew was elected county clerk in November 2021 after serving as deputy clerk for almost eight years.
Manned by two employees and one security person, the mobile DMV unit will stop in different municipalities almost every business day, processing all kinds of motor vehicle-related transactions, including the federally mandated enhanced ID cards, or Real ID.
By May 2025, Real IDs will be required for boarding domestic flights and accessing certain federal facilities.
Schedules for the mobile DMV will be made available on the county website, Eskew said.
The vehicle will stop in Port Jervis twice a week to serve the western Orange County area until a permanent office is secured in the city, Eskew told The Epoch Times.
Port Jervis saw its DMV office close its doors several years ago when the city discontinued the lease with the county.
“This unit here has been long anticipated,” New York state Assemblyman and Republican Minority Whip Karl Brabenec told The Epoch Times. “It is going to help out a lot of spots in the county, especially Port Jervis, where there currently has no DMV office.”
Brabenec represents the 98th district, encompassing western portions of Orange and Rockland counties, including Port Jervis, Warwick, and parts of Ramapo.
In addition, the mobile unit will make other clerk services more accessible for seniors and people with disabilities who have difficulties coming to the county government center.
Some examples are land records, notary services, and veteran military service records.
Other departments are also welcome to take advantage of the mobile unit to promote their programs or events throughout the county, Eskew said.
The mobile DMV cost around $167,000 and was funded by the federal COVID-19 stimulus money under the American Rescue Plan Act.
“Orange County remains committed to providing critical services to residents wherever they are,” Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said at the press conference. “The Mobile DMV will help more residents access the vital services we provide.”
“I just want to congratulate you, Orange County, on this new mobile DMV unit,” New York state DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder said at the news conference. “I know there is going to be a focus on seniors, I know there is going to be a focus on our veterans, and I know there is going to be a focus on our disability community throughout Orange County.”
