Retired Hoisington physician Dan Witt was somewhat relieved after the Barton County Commission meeting Monday morning.

Witt had bought a 2013 vehicle from a dealership in Salina. Now, for the past one and a half to two years, he’s been receiving calls on his cell phone from insurance companies, some sounding dubious at best, trying to sell him extended warranty plans.

“They call at all times of the day or night,” he said.

He complained to the dealer, upset that they had provided his contact information to these insurance carriers. The dealer said they could sell such plans, but since the care had over 98,000 miles they probably wouldn’t.

However, he was told there are companies that would and the dealer had nothing to do with it. They said it was the County Treasurer’s Office that had sold the information.

So, he brought his concerns to the commission.

Sheriff Brian Bellendir said the make, model, vehicle identification number and name of the purchaser are all a matter of public record through the State of Kansas. These lists are available as public records without the requester having to file a Kansas Open Records request.

So, these insurance companies can get this information from the state. Then, they can track down telephone numbers from another source, Belllendir said.

He added that it is illegal for elected officials to sell public information.