CENTRAL TEXAS — State Services are beginning to reopen across Central Texas, and one of the many services put on hold was the vehicle registration process and license renewal.
The McLennan County Tax Office has a plan to open doors again.
While not all state services are open just yet, the McLennan County Tax Office is open for business, but there are some important changes Central Texans should be aware of.
During COVID-19, Governor Abbott ordered the closure of major operations, including state services, back in March with the promise to add on a 60-day grace period for vehicle registrations, title transfers, license renewals and inspections.
“We had the procedures in place to make sure that our staff and the citizens were safe," Randy Riggs, McLennan County Tax Assessor - Collector.
But with things changing, services are opening back up.
"We were closed for seven weeks and we felt it was time to reopen,” Riggs said.
The 60-day grace period would begin once the state of emergency has passed, which that date is still unknown.
“Really don’t know. The Governor seems to change this.. It used to be daily, and now its weekly,” Riggs said.
The McLennan County Tax Office reopened last Monday, but not all state services are open yet. The decision to reopen is left to the local offices to decide.
“We have only one person in front of each clerk and we limit the number of people in our lobby to only six customers. We do have a tent that is up to help shield people from the sun, and we are doing what we can to make it as less intrusive as possible” Riggs said.
The Brazos County Tax office is currently offering a limited number of services through drive-through lanes, and Bell County Tax Office is opened by appointment only.
The Tax Assessor’s office is encouraging people to utilize their website or mail in form if it is not necessary to have to meet in person.