NEWS
CDL waiver of expiration dates remain in place
AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is reminding the public that the State of Disaster Declaration in response to COVID-19 remains in effect, and includes the waiver of expiration dates for commercial driver licenses (CDL).
If your Texas CDL, driver license (DL), identification card (ID) or election identification certificate (EIC) expires on or after March 13, 2020, it is covered by the Disaster Declaration waiver, and will remain valid for 60 days after DPS issues public notice that normal operations have resumed. At this time, the 60-day notice has not been issued,and Texans still have time to conduct their renewal transactions. Customers are also able to download a copy of the Verification of Driver License Expiration Extension (PDF) notice to carry with them in their vehicle.
Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended its waiver for CDLs and commercial learner’s permits (CLP) validity period from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, in response to the President’s declaration of a national emergency regarding COVID-19. This waiver is for commercial licenses or commercial permits that expired on or after March 1, 2020.
Texas DL offices are open and taking appointments statewide for CDL, DL, learner license or ID card transactions, as well as those needing to take a driving test. To further assist the public, many offices are now open on Saturdays through December (with the exception of Nov. 28) and are accepting appointments for renewals and replacements only of CDLs, DLs, and IDs. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Appointment scheduler
To make an appointment, customers must use the appointment solution system. DPS implemented this new system in May, and all services are now conducted by appointment only. This is designed to reduce the amount of time Texans spend waiting in line. Customers can now book appointments for a specific day and time, up to six months in advance, and show up 30 minutes or less before their scheduled appointment. Customers can check-in using the kiosk inside the office or from their mobile device.
A limited number of same day appointments will also be available at many DL offices. These appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Customers who book these appointments can then leave the DL office until their designated appointment time. Additionally, in most offices, customers without an appointment may be offered the opportunity to be placed on a “standby” list. These customers are required to wait in the office and are assisted in the event of a cancelation or a no-show. The number of standby appointments is limited to ensure all customers who are placed on the list will be served by the end of the day.
The second community meeting on needs for an emergency room or hospital in Bowie is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the Bowie Community Center.
This is the second meeting to discuss these needs following the closure of the Faith Community Health Center emergency room on Oct. 6, just shy of a year of operation. More than 200 people attended that first meeting, where discussion centered on the creation of a taxing district to support any sort of medical facility.
Citizens in the Bowie area are encouraged to attend and take part in these discussions.
The Bowie City Council has moved its Nov. 18 meeting to 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 where three new council members will take the oath of office.
Councilors include Laura Sproles, precinct two, Brandon Walker, precinct one and Laramie Truax, precinct two. After the votes are canvassed and the oaths given, a mayor pro tem will be selected.
The new members will jump right into training as City Attorney Courtney Goodman-Morris provides an orientation and discussion of duties for council members.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will make his monthly report on the following topics: Nelson Street, which opened last Thursday, update on the sewer line replacement project, substation transformer placement and information on medical companies.
A closed executive session on the Laura McCarn vs. City of Bowie lawsuit is scheduled. The suit arose in November 2022 when the city broached selling some 25 acres it owns on Lake Amon G. Carter, originally part of the land purchased for the 500-acre Bowie Reservoir completed in 1985.
McCarn challenges the ownership of the property stating it should revert to the original owners since it was not used for the lake.
This 24.35 acre tract is located at the end of Indian Trail Road surrounded by the lake and the Silver Lakes Ranch subdivision.
One of Bowie’s major thoroughfares, Nelson Street, was reopened Thursday after one busy block has been closed since August 2021 when a section of the street failed.
Construction finally came to an end on Thursday when the street, including the Nelson and Mill intersection were reopened. Mayor Gaylynn Burris, City Manager Bert Cunningham, Councilors TJay McEwen and Stephanie Post, Engineer Mike Tibbetts and Public Works Director Stony Lowrance met at the site Thursday morning and removed the barricades. It only took a few minutes for vehicles to start arriving and drivers were excited to go through on the new roadway.
This section of Bowie has endured flooding and drainage problems for many years and in the summer of 2023 the city council finally bit the bullet and sought bids for the repair work expected to top $3 million. In August 2021 a one block section of Nelson was closed when a large sinkhole appeared on the north side of the street. Traffic had to be diverted including all the school traffic flowing from the nearby junior high and intermediate.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo – (Left) Mike Tibbetts, engineer with Hayter Engineering, talks with Bowie City Manager Bert Cunningham as they look over the massive drainage project on Nelson Street.
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