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Long lines at Wyandotte County vehicle renewal offices prompted the Unified Government to open a new pilot location in Bonner Springs to reduce wait times.
The new tag renewal office opened Oct. 16 at Bonner Springs City Hall, 200 E. 3rd Street.
The one-year pilot program operates on Monday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Unlike the two full-service locations at the Wyandotte County Courthouse and Annex, the Bonner Springs office only handles vehicle registration renewals.
Other transactions like vehicle transfers or new vehicle purchases are not available at the Bonner Springs office.
"This project represents a strong partnership between the Unified Government and the City of Bonner Springs," said Unified Government Treasurer Andrea Vinyard in a release. "Our goal with this pilot is to reduce the crowds at our two main Motor Vehicle offices, which will allow us to improve efficiencies and better serve residents across the county."
Discussions about the Bonner Springs location began about five months ago and included Unified Government Mayor/CEO Tyrone Garner and District 7 Unified Government Commissioner Chuck Stites.
The two existing locations processed 71,716 registration renewals last year, along with 23,731 new title transactions and 21,258 other miscellaneous transactions, including handicap placards and temporary license plates.
The offices collected $16,229,175 in motor vehicle property taxes in the last year.
Despite online renewal options, about 40% of citizens who could renew online still choose to walk into physical locations.
"There is a segment of our population that still likes to walk in and like to have, taken care of," said Dr. Shelley Kneuvean, the Unified Government's chief financial officer.
Charlie Scott, a Kansas City, Kansas, resident, experienced the long wait times firsthand when he tried to renew his tags at the State Avenue annex.
"They said, 'Well, we don't have any appointments in November.'" Well, my tag expires at the end of October," Scott said.
Staff at the annex directed Scott to the new Bonner Springs location, which he didn't know existed.
"They said, 'Well, you can go to our Bonner office,' and I said, 'Well okay, I didn't know you had a Bonner office,'" Scott said.
Sandy Laughlin, fiscal support supervisor for the Unified Government, is part of the two-person staff working at the new location.
"Honestly, we have been really busy. Folks are very happy that we're doing this," Laughlin said.
The renewal process typically takes 10 to 15 minutes at most, according to Kneuvean.
The state had to approve the opening of the new location.
Bonner Springs Mayor Tom Stephens welcomed the new service to his city.
"We are excited to host another County service that brings convenience to the western section of the county," Stephens said in a release. "I appreciate all of the efforts of staff and elected officials to ensure Western Wyandotte County has equal access to county services."
The pilot program came together cost-effectively for the county, Kneuvean said.
Bonner Springs is providing the facility at no cost, and the Unified Government is using existing personnel from the 23 full-time employees and one part-time employee who staff the other locations.
"We did have to buy a printer, but that's it," Kneuvean said.
The Unified Government has been looking for ways to improve service after receiving complaints about long wait times and limited appointment availability.
"We do get complaints about how long it takes to get through or appointments aren't available...and so we're looking at how can we do this differently, and how can we do this better?" Kneuvean said.
Wyandotte County residents can also renew their vehicle tags online, through the MyWyco app or on the iKan website as alternatives to visiting physical locations.
The state sends renewal notices approximately six weeks before registration expiration dates.
The two full-service locations continue operating Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wyandotte County Courthouse, 710 N. 7th St., Suite 240, in KCK. The annex is at 8200 State Avenue.
Kansas law requires residents to renew vehicle registrations in the county where they live or where the vehicle is garaged, meaning residents cannot use renewal offices in different counties.
For those with expired tags, there's typically a 45-day grace period.
Kneuvean said the police department could provide more details, but drivers generally won't be towed or ticketed for expired tags alone if they can demonstrate they've tried to get an appointment.
For Scott, the new Bonner Springs location solved his immediate problem.
"Works great for me," Scott said. “I don’t mind driving to Bonner.”
An official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new location is planned, but details have not been released.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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