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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Pinto

DATE TYPED 3/4/05

HB

SHORT TITLE Shiprock MVD Field Office Study

SB SJM 86

ANALYST Wilson

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

NFI

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Indian Affairs (DIA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 86 requests the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) of the Taxation & Reve-

nue Department (TRD) to study the feasibility of establishing a MVD field office in Shiprock.

The MVD must report its findings to the Indian affairs committee no later than November 2005

and provide the legislative council service library with two copies of the written report.

Copies of this memorial must be transmitted to the TRD secretary, the MVD director, thee secre-

tary of Indian affairs and the chapter president of the Shiprock chapter of the Navajo Nation.

Significant Issues

Shiprock is the largest community west of Farmington in San Juan county and is the largest Na-

vajo community in the Navajo Nation with a total population of 9,124. All but 10 percent of this

population owns a vehicle suggesting that a majority of these residents utilize MVD services.

Over one-half of the population of San Juan county lives outside of the municipalities of Farm-

ington, Bloomfield and Aztec.

Forty percent of the population of San Juan county is Native American and most of that popula-

Senate Joint Memorial 86 -- Page 2

tion lives west of Farmington. Although there are three MVD field offices in San Juan county,

they are located in Farmington, Aztec and Bloomfield, with no offices located in the western part

of the county.

Residents of western San Juan county oftentimes must drive for more than an hour to get to the

Farmington office, the one that is closest to them, and then, due to the high traffic in that office,

must wait up to five hours to be served.

This situation will only get worse since the greatest increase in the population of San Juan county

is in the western part of the county, where one-half of the county's population of children four-

teen years of age and younger now reside.

Locating a motor vehicle division field office in Shiprock will help relieve the long lines and

long waiting times at the Farmington MVD field office and will allow that office to run more

efficiently.

The DIA believes a feasibility study will involve researching existing and impending challenges

to serving the population in the western portion of San Juan County. A customer satisfaction and

the need for more efficient services and. less waiting time should be addressed in the study. Fi-

nally, a feasibility study may also bring to light other challenges such as language barriers in the

provision of MVD services to Native American consumers.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

MVD will have to conduct the study with existing staff.

DW/lg