Pike tax office to close Jan. 12-18 for DRIVES upgrade

Pike County’s tax commission office will be unable to process titles or tags from Jan. 12 to 18 as the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) and the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) completes a technology upgrade called DRIVES – Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System.’We will not be able to process any titles or tags from Jan. 12-18. We should be up and running on Jan. 19. We would like to encourage people who have birthdays during that time to come in prior to Jan. 12,’ said Pike County tax commissioner Donna Chapman. The multi-year upgrade will modernize the current DDS Driver’s License system and the DOR Tag and Title system. The new system will offer more self-service options, improve customer service and enhance data integrity. While DOR and county tax commissioners have been using DRIVES since Spring 2019, this important upgrade done in tandem with the DDS system transition will ensure each agency will have access to the most recent enhancements and features of the software. The DRIVES system establishes a customer-centric enterprise solution to support each agency, and the partners will maintain their individual roles as defined in state law. DDS will continue to handle the state’s driver license and ID card issuance function by properly trained and certified driver examiners. Each county tax commissioner will continue their established mission including motor vehicle license plate and title administration. Both agencies have encouraged those with January renewal dates to plan ahead and renew early. ’We are excited for this upgrade which will enable us to provide the best customer service possible whether in person or online once the upgrade is complete. I encourage customers whose driver’s license and/or ID is scheduled to expire during the month of January 2021 to renew their credential prior to the scheduled closings,’ said DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. Another important DRIVES benefit will be enhanced security features which will help deter fraud and identity theft. Once the transition is complete, customers will be prompted to reestablish their existing DDS online account for security purposes. ’The Department of Revenue and Tag Offices in all 159 counties have been using the system since May of 2019, and we look forward to the realization of this long-term vision with our partners at DDS,’ said DOR Commissioner David Curry. ‘Like Commissioner Moore, I encourage all customers with vehicle registrations expiring in January to complete their renewals before January 13th.’