SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Mobile Office to offer on-site titling, registration

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson today announced that the Mobile Office will be at Boating and Outdoor Recreation Festival in Macomb County's Harrison Township to serve customers Sept. 22-25.

Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Sept. 22-23; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 24; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 25. The show is at Metro Beach Metropark, 31300 Metro Parkway.

The festival features a full marina of new and used boats for sale as well as displays about outdoor recreation, waterfront living, fine art and fishing accessories. It is sponsored by the Michigan Boating Industries Association.

"The Boating and Outdoor Festival makes a great day for you and your family, and I encourage people to stop by the Mobile Office for convenient service or to get their questions answered," Johnson said. "Boating and recreation make important contributions to our state's economy. They're also perfect ways to experience our state's natural beauty."

The office is made up of four, easy-to-use carts that are rolled out of a 14-foot-by-7-foot trailer and then assembled as a customer service counter with all the necessary equipment and data connections. It replaces the old office, which was a 24-foot-long modified recreational camper trailer that customers would enter to do business.

Customers of the mobile office have the ability to pay with a MasterCard or Discover card as well as buy instant titles or a copy of their driving record. The Mobile Office offers all the services available at a traditional branch office.

The original Secretary of State mobile office was commissioned in July 1997 and logged more than 130,000 miles. When it required significant repairs in order to continue operation, Johnson decided to use a more nimble, less expensive alternative.

More information about the Boating and Outdoor Festival is available at BoatingandOutdoorFest.com.

For information about branch office locations and additional services, visit the Secretary of State website (www.Michigan.gov/sos) and sign up for official Secretary of State Twitter feeds (www.twitter.com/Michsos) and Facebook updates (www.facebook.com/Michigansos).

Customers also may call the Department of State Information Center to speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).

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For media questions, please call Gisgie Dávila Gendreau at 517-373-2520.