Hoosiers can expect a significant upgrade to their experience at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and with Indiana's Department of Transportation (INDOT) permitting process. On Monday, Governor Mike Braun took a step towards enhancing customer service across the state by signing two executive orders aimed at modernizing the tech at the BMV and reforming permitting along Indiana's transportation network.
Executive Order 25-41 touches on the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, focusing on a digital and technological leap forward. The BMV's current System Tracking and Record Support (STARS) system, first implemented in 2004 with a hefty $50 million price tag, is scheduled for a makeover. Considering STARS' age and the approximate $10 million it drains every year in operation and maintenance, the time for an upgrade is certainly overdue. In a statement obtained by the State of Indiana, Governor Braun emphasized the importance of such advancements, "Customer service was always my top priority when I was building my business, and it’s my top priority for Hoosiers as well." He cited the past achievements of Governor Mitch Daniels and highlighted the current need to push for modernization.
For the past two decades, the BMV has stood as a testament to the government's capability to adapt, yet with technological strides bounding forward, the system now lags behind. Under Executive Order 25-41, the Secretary of Transportation and Infrastructure is tasked with developing a five-year strategy for digital and technological enhancement at the BMV, aiming to replace and enhance systems like the STARS, ensuring they better serve Hoosiers' needs.
Alongside the BMV's update, Executive Order 25-42 introduces reforms in transportation permitting. Braun's administration acknowledges the inconsistencies and inefficiencies within INDOT's right-of-way and permitting operations. This second executive order is paving the way for smoother roads in the regulatory sense. Governor Braun told the State of Indiana, "The Crossroads of America has to be the gold standard for transportation permitting, and that means clarity, predictability, and best-in-class customer service." The goal is for INDOT to establish uniform standards, modernize the electronic permit system, and display all regulatory requirements visibly on their website to ease and expedite the permitting process.
With these executive orders, Governor Braun sets in motion plans that aspire to strengthen the quality of customer service in public services, reflecting a business-minded approach to governance that hopes to render the state's services more efficient and user-friendly. This initiative represents a nod to a government that listens, adapts, and looks to technology as an ally in serving its constituents. Hoosiers are on track to witness their state government modernize within the next few years, hopefully making encounters with the BMV and INDOT less of a chore and more of a swift, painless necessity.
