Opening a motor vehicle registration office at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam would help military personnel and reduce the lines for other Oahu residents at satellite city halls, city and military officials said.

The Council Intergovernmental Affairs and Human Services Committee gave preliminary approval on Thursday to Resolution 14-61, an agreement allowing the city to set up a two-person, twice-a-week vehicle registration office in an empty office at an on-base recreation center. The space, which has glass customer service windows, was previously used as an entertainment ticket counter, officials said.

The space is being offered to the city at no cost, said Navy Capt. Jeffrey James, base commander.

City Customer Services Director Sheri Kajiwara said the idea came up more than a year ago when her staff sought ways to reduce long lines at satellite city halls. The state’s decision to give the counties the responsibility of issuing state identification cards, coupled with a federal mandate requiring more stringent documentation to obtain driver’s licenses and ID cards, is what triggered the long lines.

Motor vehicle transactions account for 70 percent of satellite city hall business and take the longest time, Kajiwara said. Transactions involving military personnel take the longest time because they often involve out-of-state transfers and can require additional forms that must be approved by commanders, she said.

Shifting those transactions to the joint base site would open up lines elsewhere, she said.

James said the base has about 1,700 uniformed Navy and Marine personnel at a time, about a third of whom are transferred in or out each year. The families of military personnel and on-base civilian employees could also use the office, which would only handle motor vehicle transactions.

The arrangement calls for a one-year pilot program, which could be extended up to five years. The office would initially open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, typically the slower times at satellite city halls, Kajiwara said.

The proposal goes before the City Council for a final vote in April.