The Cordova Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was set to re-open this month after being closed since the summer, but the employee the city hired rescinded their application recently – delaying the process again.
The city originally issued a public notice on Nov. 26 announcing that the DMV would re-open in mid-December, but Cordova City Manager Samantha Greenwood confirmed this week that the chosen candidate ended up declining the offer. She said the part-time position pays between $20.85 and $24.39 per hour depending on experience, with a minimum of 20 hours per week.
The city has a second applicant in mind for the part-time position, according to Greenwood, but she said she wasn’t sure when human resources would officially offer the job.
Even so, residents shouldn’t expect the DMV to be up and running as soon as the city originally announced. Greenwood noted that should the other applicant accept the position, there is a bit of paperwork they’ll have to complete before starting.
“Unfortunately, it has pushed us back again,” she said.
The DMV – which has been a longstanding one-employee operation – originally closed back in June after the office ran into tech and web issues, and then remained closed after the only employee resigned.
It’s been the latest local department to struggle with staff retention. A year ago, the city welcomed a new librarian after it announced it would be scaling back hours due to staffing shortages, and the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department asked the City Council for increased funding for more emergency medical technicians (EMTs) – claiming the lack of EMTs has put the community at risk. The local Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) is another agency that struggles with retention in Cordova, according to Greenwood.
The city is also looking to fill multiple full-time positions – a streets superintendent, recreation clerk, public safety officer, motor vehicle customer service clerk and custodian – with pay ranging from about $20-$43 per hour, depending on the position. The city is also looking for seasonal/temporary employees to fill its facility/cemetery maintenance, Parks & Rec recreation aid and water/sewer labor/maintenance roles.
For the full list of city vacancies, visit https://www.cityofcordova.net/careers/.
Correction: The print version of this story had an outdated headline. It has been updated to reflect that the Cordova DMV will not re-open in mid-December.
