OCTOBER 17, 2005

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land today announced that the South Kalamazoo County PLUS Office has opened its doors and is providing customers with conveniences such as expanded hours and a Self-Service Station for license tab renewals.

The office at 603 Romence Road in Portage is Kalamazoo County’s second Secretary of State PLUS office. The first opened last month in the Maple Hill Mall. Land is creating 22 PLUS offices statewide to deliver enhanced services.

"We’re confident that local residents will appreciate the advantages of having two PLUS offices in Kalamazoo County, " Land said. "These offices provide greater convenience through extended hours and on-site access to services, such as driving records, instant titles, and self-service stations. This is just one more way that we are working to make it easier for customers to take care of business."

Benefits of the South Kalamazoo County PLUS Office include:

• Expanded Wednesday hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• An optional Self-Service Station that lets customers renew vehicle tabs without waiting for service at the counter.
• The ability to pay with a Discover credit card at the counter.
• The option for customers to buy copies of their own driving record on-site.

In addition to PLUS offices, Land is launching five Secretary of State SUPER!Centers. SUPER!Centers offer many of the same features as PLUS offices as well as Saturday hours and certain specialty services. SUPER!Centers in Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids already have been established.

The enhanced facilities are part of Land’s initiative to modernize branch office operations.

The South Kalamazoo County PLUS Office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday. It was created by combining the resources of the former Kalamazoo Downtown and Portage branch offices.

Land reminds residents that they can "skip the trip" to a branch office by renewing vehicle and watercraft registrations online. Browsing the Department of State Web site at www.Michigan.gov/sos also helps customers determine fees and requirements before they visit a branch office.