Rotating closures and other changes at Denver Department of Motor Vehicle offices start Monday and will continue through the rest of the year.
The changes are being implemented by the city as it works out how to balance its budget amid the ongoing influx of immigrants from the Southern border. It's one of several major changes the city announced last month.
Starting Monday, DMV offices will stop processing vehicle registration renewals in person. They will now only process those requests online, through mail or at kiosks. A list of kiosks throughout the city can be found on the DMV's website. New registrations will still be processed in person.
The city's four satellite DMV locations will also rotate full-week closures. Each one will close for one week, every four weeks. The northeast location at 4685 Peoria St. is the first to close. The central DMV office at 2855 Tremont Place will remain open.
The other department slated to significantly reduce its services is Denver Parks & Recreation. Rec center hours were slashed across the system in late February, and no centers will operate seven days a week. The department has also paused new applications for permits to hold public events, special gatherings and sports tournaments.
More changes are likely on the horizon for the city. Mayor Mike Johnston has asked departments to look for further ways to shrink their budgets, describing the cuts as a "shared sacrifice" to offset the $180 million Denver expects to spend on immigrant support.
Johnston announced a plan to significantly reduce the cost of its immigrant response last week, saying the city would close four new immigrant shelters to save the city up to $60 million. He said new arrivals to the city have been dropping in the last few weeks, and officials will instead shift attention to case management and helping people find housing and work.
