AUGUST 18, 2009

Additional hours will minimize inconvenience to customers

To better serve customers and alleviate the inconvenience of the state government furlough days, Secretary of State offices will remain open two additional hours on the business day immediately following the two remaining furlough days, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced today.

On Monday, Aug. 24, and Tuesday, Sept. 8, offices normally open on those weekdays will stay open until 7 p.m. to accommodate increased customer numbers after the furlough days mandated by the governor. Standard hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Secretary of State offices will be closed Friday, Aug. 21, Saturday, Aug. 22, Friday, Sept. 4. and Saturday, Sept. 5 due to the furloughs, and Monday, Sept. 7 because of the Labor Day holiday.

"Expanded service hours will help us reduce the inconvenience to our customers caused by the furlough days," Land said. "People can come in after their work hours to conduct business with the Secretary of State. I also encourage people to take advantage of other service options such going online or using a Self-Service Station for easy license plate tab renewals."

The Secretary of State's Office handles an average of 60,000 transactions a day. But following a furlough day, customer traffic has climbed to roughly 75,000 transactions a day, resulting in added wait times for customers. Offices also have seen additional customer numbers because of new services being offered such as the enhanced driver's license and registration histories for people looking to trade in a vehicle to take advantage of the "Cash for Clunkers" program.

For more information about office locations and hours, visit www.Michigan.gov/sos.