Closed MVC offices, courthouses frustrate New Jersey residents

It's one thing to arrive at a New Jersey motor vehicle office and get frustrated by the long lines and sometimes outrageous wait times.

It's another to show up and find the doors locked, with a picture of the state assemblyman Gov. Chris Christie blames for a government shutdown posted on the door.

But that is exactly what happened Monday at motor vehicle offices. Some courthouse services were also affected, including small claims cases.

Anger, disappointment at MVC offices

As Christie, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, Senate President Steve Sweeney and other politicians worked late into the night to strike a deal Monday, folks who wanted to get their license renewed, take a driver exam or get their car inspected found it impossible to complete those tasks.

It was especially frustrating for those who were a couple of days late — Friday was June 30 — in getting their documents renewed or updated.

"Does this mean I get a pass on a ticket, since my inspection sticker is a 6?" said Steve, a resident of Pequannock, who declined to give his last name.

Steve's inspection was due in June, but he said his check engine light came on and he needed car repairs, so he was unable to take the car for inspection last week.

Other drivers peered into the darkened buildings in frustration, and some took photos of the signs posted on the doors. A few even attempted to drive into the inspection station.

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One 17-year-old girl showed up at the Lodi motor vehicle station to take the test for her license. She'd had the appointment since January and left the closed facility in tears.

State offices shut down Saturday after budget negotiations reached an impasse. All the state parks were closed, including Island Beach State Park in Ocean County, ruining the holiday weekend for some — although Christie and his family still visited the governor's residence on the otherwise deserted beach, something that caused public outcry.

On Sunday, the governor was photographed by NJ.com sitting with his family in a beach chair in sandals and a T-shirt before flying to talk to reporters in Trenton, where he worked to end the shutdown.

The governor's office posted signs on the closed facilities featuring Prieto, placing the blame on him for the closures around the state and giving his phone number. Christie said the posters are government advice and have been approved by his ethics team.

At the Lodi MVC, Hackensack resident Plinio Morales had taken the day off to go there.

"It sucks," Morales said. "I guess it makes sense that the DMV would be involved in this. It's really just inconvienent." 

Teaneck resident Luis Gomez agreed with Morales.

"It's one of the few days companies are actually off, and you can’t even get things done," Gomez said.

Just Ramos of Teaneck went to pay his registration. He thought the whole situation was "not good." He also pointed out that he pays taxes for this and was upset that the shutdown "came with no warning."

Frustration at the courthouse

At the courthouse in downtown Paterson on Monday, frustration was the order of the day. A county employee was stationed at the entrance to the building, turning people away.

Alexis Contin, who owns a spa in Clifton, wanted to make a payment and have a lien removed. A county employee told him to try back Wednesday, but to call before heading over.

“It’s inconvenient,” said Contin.

In Hackensack, the Bergen County Courthouse was unusually quiet Monday afternoon, with payment windows closed and most court cases postponed due to the state shutdown. 

Dennis Ross, a state Department of Public Safety security officer who was manning the parking lot, said he had turned away some 150 vehicles that day, informing disappointed people that their business would not be handled.

The few that came on foot were quickly turned away at the door.

Joseph Mat, a Waldwick resident, had come to pay his child support fees. Though some forms of payment were being accepted via the Child Support Processing Center by filling out a form and placing payment in an envelope, the payment window was not open, and several left disgruntled.

“I knew about the government shutdown, but thought the courthouse would be open on this working business day,” Mat said. “I wasted half a day coming here. It’s upsetting — all because one side of government can’t agree with the other.”

Van Hogan of Hackensack, who had also come to pay child support fees, called the situation “bull.”

“I’m trying to take care of my kids, and I can’t because of this shutdown,” Hogan said. “They will probably give me problems, too, if the payment isn’t in on time. The government has a responsibility to take care of us and can’t get it together to pass a budget.”

Nicole Parker of Hackensack said she came to drop off paperwork for child support. She said she’s been watching the news and knew about the government shutdown, but thought it was over. She said she had the day off and will likely have to wait another week before being able to get to the courthouse to submit her paperwork.

“It sucks,” she said. “We shouldn’t have to pay the burden for politicians not getting the budget approved.”

Though certain types of cases were still being handled by the court during the shutdown — including first appearance for criminal defendants who are committed, juvenile detention matters and Division of Child Protection and Permanency for the removal of children from their homes — the majority of cases were postponed.

Those postponed include most small claims, special civil, civil and general equity cases in civil court, divorce, custody and child support disputes in family court and most criminal matters. Jurors were notified that they did not need to report for service

Staff Writer Lindsey Kelleher contributed to this article.