The Mathews County Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue offices are staying busy these days providing DMV Select services to customers from all across the region.
Treasurer Wendy Stewart said lines began to form on a daily basis shortly after the offices reopened eight weeks ago, subsequent to coronavirus pandemic closures. The transaction count quickly went from the usual fewer than 50 per day to more than 250 per day, she said, as people from as far away as the North Carolina border learned they could get their registrations renewed and conduct a number of other transactions in Mathews without a prior appointment.
Many of the customers they’re getting, said Stewart, are newly-arrived military personnel who can’t get on base until their vehicles are registered in Virginia. On Monday morning, Adrena Hanley of Atlanta, Georgia, was holding a place in line for her son, who was recently stationed in Norfolk. She said she came up to visit and they drove to Mathews together so he could get his car registered. Four other people in the long line said they were from Gloucester, Newport News, Williamsburg and Richmond.
Stewart said that such a small office handling so many transactions is difficult, “but we’re trying to do the best we can.” If people are in line by 2 p.m., she said the office will serve them. After that, an orange cone goes up to indicate no more customers will be accepted. She said employees had worked after 5 p.m. on a number of occasions in order to accommodate everyone.
Out of all of the people who have had to wait outside in the heat or rain to be served, Stewart said only three had been disrespectful, and the sheriff’s office had to be summoned to address the problems.
“All the others have been very respectful and a pleasure to serve,” she said.
Initially, said Stewart, the main door to the building was kept locked, and staff members let in only four customers at a time. But she and Commissioner of the Revenue Les Hall determined that created a greater risk for exposure to the coronavirus than just leaving the main door open and keeping employees behind their locked doors and glass enclosures.
While the DMV Select office in Mathews provides a number of vehicle-related services, Stewart emphasized that the office does not issue driver’s licenses, learner’s permits, identification cards or vital records.