Representative Dave Severin confirms as of now, the Carmi DMV branch is set to close next Wednesday. He and colleagues are working hard to make sure that either doesn’t happen or that a new location can be found in Carmi. According to Severin, the lease agreement between Roser Properties who owns the property and the Illinois Secretary of State was set to expire in June of 2023. There was a 6 month provisional clause in it, but Severin says somehow he just found out a new agreement hadn’t been reached a week ago. It’s fair to assume if the agreement price wasn’t changing, the License branch would most likely renew but we don’t with any certainty know if or how much of an increase the Rosers were requesting from the Illinois government; only that presumably it was a number the Secretarymof States office wouldn’t accept. Severin says for the last week he, Senator Terri Bryant, officials with the City of Carmi, and Secretary of State have been working to find a resolution that will either keep the facility open where it is or to find a new suitable location. For the representative, he described it as akin to going to watch a ballgame and then getting called up to bat in the bottom of the 9th with two strikes already against you. Still yet, he’s optimistic and says despite the breakdown in communication, it’s possible a resolution could actually lead to expanded services at a Carmi facility though he didn’t elaborate. Severin says as soon as a resolution is found, WROY/WRUL will be notified.
