Members of the LOU Community in need of a driver’s license renewal were out of luck several days this week, due to last-minute closings at the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Oxford.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the DMV was shuttered, with a sign on the front door saying “Closed Due to Short Staff.” The office was open during regular hours Thursday, but a representative from the DMV said they would be closed again Friday.

“It’s an inside personnel matter,” the representative told the EAGLE.

That answer didn’t sit well with Oxford resident Judy Watts, who tried to take her grandson to get his driver’s license before school started Wednesday.

After learning the Oxford DMV was closed, Watts and her grandson decided to go to 45 minutes down the road to Sardis. While the distance was inconvenient, Watts said the service at the Sardis DMV far exceeded her expectations.

“It was like the Hilton. They had six lanes in front of the counter, with cameras ready to take pictures,” Watts said. “It was a lot better than any experience I’ve had in Oxford. I saw several others on Facebook who said they had to go to Sardis too. My grandson also said two of his friends went to Grenada to get their licenses.”

One bright spot in an otherwise unpleasant situation, Watts said, is that she learned about various methods for Oxford residents to renew their drivers license.

Those wishing to renew online can do so by visiting https://drive.ms.gov. If they require an in-person visit, Mississippi residents can go to any DMV office – not just the one in their town.

The DMV office in Oxford confirmed they will be open during regular hours and back to business as usual next week.