KSHB 41 Traffic anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers all sorts of transportation topics across Kansas City. Have a story idea to share or a question about something in your neighborhood? Send Daniela a news tip.
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Kansas legislators are set to review a proposal Thursday that would increase fees for vehicle registrations.
Members of the Kansas Senate Committee on Transportation are taking testimony Thursday on Senate Bill 404.
The bill, introduced on behalf of Sedgwick County, would modify the vehicle registration period for personalized license plates, and authorize county treasurers to charge increased fees for vehicle registration transactions.
Johnson County Treasurer Thomas G. Franzen says having the ability to change fees would allow hiring of more staff. Additional staff would help reduce wait times experienced by motorists at motor vehicle offices.
"We're not fully staffed to where we think we should be because the revenues that come with this operation are set by Kansas law, and the legislature has the ability to make that change," Franzen said late last year.
According to the bill text, on top of the annual vehicle registration fee, the bill would allow a county treasurer to raise a service fee by as much as $15, and charge a separate registration transaction fee by as much as $5. The fees collected would go to a special fund, that gives county treasurers the authority to hire staff and pay for costs needed to run the vehicle registration process.
Last year, KSHB41 reported some residents waiting up to three hours and online appointments booked a month out, to conduct business at the Johnson County's two motor vehicle offices.
Franzen says staffing shortages, rising transaction volumes, and limited revenue set by state law are driving the delays.
Of the $32.4 million in fees collected in 2024, only $4.7 million stayed in the county to fund DMV operations, leaving property tax subsidies to fill the gap.
In Kansas, county treasurers act as agents for the Kansas Department of Revenue. Any changes to funding or operations would have to come from the state legislature, which controls the rules and revenue limits for vehicle registrations.
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