Minnesota on track to meet deadlines for replacing MNLARS
Minnesota is on track to meet the project implementation deadlines for replacing the state's troubled driver and vehicle registration system known as MNLARS, the Office of the Legislative Auditor reported Tuesday.
However, the auditor's report found some minor risks to completing the project on time and on budget, and said managers should address them soon.
The most serious involved requirements added by the 2019 Legislature for researching alternate ways of determining vehicle licensing fees, and for exploring self-service licensing, title and registration capabilities. Moving ahead on those ideas could mean delays and higher costs, the report said.
The review said another risk is that moving and converting data from the old Minnesota Licensing and Registration System system to the new Vehicle Title and Registration System could prove challenging.
MNLARS, which was developed in house, never fully recovered from its failed 2017 launch. That led the Walz administration and the Legislature to approve replacing it with VTRS from Fast Enterprises, which other states also use.
The plan calls for a launch by the end of 2020, with full implementation of VTRS and a complete decommissioning of MNLARS by fall 2021. Costs to taxpayers from the failure of MNLARS and replacing it will exceed $180 million.
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