IRMO, S.C. — The Irmo-Ballentine DMV branch has been closed this week due to staff shortages, according to the SC Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV), but will reopen on Friday.
According to the agency, closing a location is extremely rare. Branch managers are usually able to shift workers around from other locations to fill in the gaps, but too many workers are out sick. There's a staffing shortage.
Locals News 19 spoke with are feeling the effects.
"This is my second time trying to get my Real ID, and I've just been unsuccessful with it here at the Irmo branch," Irmo resident Tammy Karpik said.
"It's going to cause me to go probably an hour out of my way to get some things done that I can normally get done in, I mean, in and out of here within 15-30 minutes," Irmo resident Bennie Wilson said.
Wilson said he typically chooses this location because of its closeness to where he lives and the speedy service.
"I hadn't heard anything about it so I checked the website to see if it was a state holiday and it's not, so I was very shocked and surprised that it wasn't open today," Wilson said.
"We apologize for any inconvenience that customers experienced, and we appreciate their understanding and flexibility as we get back to normal operations," said the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
The agency tells News 19 they notified residents through Facebook, Twitter and on the Irmo-Ballentine office page of the DMV website.
According to the SCDMV, the Irmo-Ballentine location will be back up and running on Friday with half of their staff, about 10-12 employees.
The agency says the office will be back to full staffing on Monday with the majority of staff being from that office, and a few others filling in to support.
SCDMV said they partner with SC Works to do hiring events quite frequently to combat this staffing shortage problem. They've participated in five career fairs in the past six months and they have hired over 60 employees.