Full Report (PDF) - Office of the Legislative Auditor

BACKGRO~23ments because they were told that they cannot chaIge customers for using creditcard services. Wisconsin officials told us that this was not an issue for them becausethey have a legislatively designated service fee and a similar fee may becharged for credit card transactions.SUMMARYStates use a wide variety of systems to register and title motor vehicles and to renewdrivers' licenses. To provide access to the public, states supplement the centralstate office with state branch offices, county or municipal offices, or privateagents. Minnesota's system of public and private agents, regulated by a centralstate office, is fairly typical of the states using public and private agents. Like privateagents in many other states, deputy registrars vary widely in size, and smalldeputies must often be part of another business to survive financially.Minnesota's system for initially appointing private agents is similar to that used inseveral other states. However, Minnesota is unique in allowing t1!e.. sale of a deputyregistrar business sheltered by the state from competition.Minnesota lags behind most other states in how it uses technology. Less than onefourthof all deputy registrars have computer access to the state database, andmuch of the data entIy perfonned by state employees duplicates work already perfonnedby deputy registrars.