MADISON, Alabama -- Retired Huntsville police officer Kinney Bryant spends most of his days now lounging at the lake or hunting when it's in season.

He stopped by the new Madison County Satellite Office in Madison Monday morning to pick up his hunting license.

He was one of several people doing business at the new office, which opened in May, for purchases of licenses and vehicle tags.

"It's convenient," said Bryant who lives in Madison, but commanded the Huntsville South Precinct for a decade before retiring after 39 years on the force.

"The touch screen was pretty easy, too. But don't tell anyone. I don't want it to get too crowded," he joked.

Since opening in May, Madison County License Director Mark Craig said 4,400 tags have been sold and between 500 and 600 driver's licenses have been renewed.

Monday was the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly refurbish office in the former Oh! Bryan's restaurant just west of the Old Madison Pike/Hughes Road intersection. It will not only serve the people of Madison, but Triana and western Madison County, too.

"We didn't have all the equipment installed, but we now have the driver's license camera, so we're ready for people to start using it," said Craig. "This has been a long time coming. Hopefully we got the right place."

Craig had to scramble to find another place two years ago when he was given a two-week notice the Southern Family Market on U.S. 72 where the other satellite office was located was closing.

After searching for a while, his office finally decided on the 7,900-square-foot building at 100 Plaza Blvd. which will also house the tax assessor and tax collector offices. The cost was $1.5 million to purchase the property and another $237,000 to refurbish it.

Craig also hopes to eventually be able to house Alabama State Troopers to give tests to new drivers, but said money is tight in Montgomery and there are "a lot of details to work out."

He said "Wi-Fi is coming" and round tables will replace some of the chairs in the waiting area so residents may log onto the Internet while waiting to conduct business.

Madison County Commissioner-elect Steve Haraway, whose district is "Jordan Lane and west," will also have an office at the Madison site beginning Nov. 14.

"It was just no use for me to have an office at the courthouse when all of my district is out here," he said while conducting a tour of the building.

His office will also have a conference room which may be used by local groups and organizations with an entrance on the side of the building to prevent disrupting those doing business in the license department.

Madison City Council President Ronica Ondocsin said it will be especially easy for people to get "in and out in five to 10 minutes" rather than "carving out two hours to go to the courthouse." She also said once Old Madison Pike is widened, it will be much quicker for people who work in Research Park to get there.

One of the first people to use the new office was Madison Mayor Paul Finley, who said his family has already conducted business there three times.

"This is such an exciting day for the city and all the western part of the county," he said. "It's exciting what all is happening in Madison. We're not done yet."

Madison County Commission Chairman-elect Dale Strong said the effort "was not easy," but the satellite office "will be beneficial to the people of Madison County."

Strong said he hopes to eventually turn the courthouse into a "judicial-only building" with more services being provided to people throughout Madison County.

The interior of the new building was designed by architect Bill Peters while Joe Cuzzort served as the contractor and landscaper for the project.