NC DMV becoming own agency would be latest to break apart within executive branch
North Carolina Republicans are looking to break apart some state agencies at the same time as they’re cutting some state jobs.
Good Sunday morning to you and welcome to our Under the Dome politics newsletter focusing on the governor and executive branch. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.
Earlier this month, State Auditor Dave Boliek released a 435-page audit of the Division of Motor Vehicles after six months of work. Boliek, a Republican, campaigned on fixing the DMV, and the issue only became more prominent as the months went by and reports continued about long lines, lack of appointments and delay after delay for North Carolina drivers trying to access basic services.
As state auditor, Boliek is part of the executive branch and serves on the Council of State along with Democratic Gov. Josh Stein and eight other statewide elected officials. Both Boliek and Stein have been in agreement, along with lawmakers of both parties, that the DMV problems must be fixed, and soon.
As our transportation reporter Richard Stradling reported the day the audit was released, Boliek is calling for the DMV to be broken out from the N.C. Department of Transportation into a separate agency. If it happens, this wouldn’t be the first time this year a new state agency was created from an old one.
Just this year, the State Highway Patrol became its own agency, separate from its previous umbrella of the Department of Public Safety. Stein’s office sued over the move and other patrol changes, but was not successful and the highway patrol became its own Cabinet agency within Stein’s administration on July 1. The change was the result of Republicans overriding former Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto in December 2024.
It also would happen at a time that Republicans have called for cutting state jobs and shrinking state government.
But growing some of it. Beyond making the Highway Patrol its own agency and potentially the DMV, too, the auditor’s office itself is gaining positions, even as both the House and Senate budget bills cut other job positions. And any time a new agency is created, there will be some related costs.
Boliek notes on the opening page of his report that while taking the DMV out of DOT is opposed by both DOT Secretary Joey Hopkins and DMV Commissioner Paul Tine, “this audit shows the current governance structure is the main issue facing the DMV.”
Boliek also shared an idea that some DMV customers could pay extra money for a “fast pass” to ensure faster service than other customers will receive, even though the agency is funded by all taxpayers.
What about the budget?
There’s still no state budget deal for the fiscal year that began six weeks ago. Cuts and additions to state jobs and agencies are still subject to budget negotiations between House and Senate Republican leaders. Policy often is included in the final budget, so if legislative budget writers are supportive of Boliek’s pitch to make the DMV separate, it could end up in the budget.
Lawmakers return to Raleigh again for session on Aug. 26 and perhaps more days after that, depending on how negotiations go. A top House budget writer said that the August session could include another mini budget bill, even if the big budget never makes it to Stein’s desk.
Questions or suggestions about this newsletter? Contact me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com. Also be sure to listen to our Under the Dome podcast, posting every Tuesday morning, to keep up to date on the latest in North Carolina politics.
This story was originally published August 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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