The Kansas Department of Revenue issued a statement Monday advising Kansans of a “prolonged slow down” in the state’s new title and registration system and offered grace periods for those unable to get vehicle work done.
However, “This is not intended as an excuse to not get tags or titles taken care of,” said Barton County Treasurer Kevin Wondra. Long lines in larger counties were the impetus for the extensions.
“It’s not meant for people to blow this stuff off for another month,” he said. This will only create backlogs as the office will be filled by those with May and June renewals.
In Barton County, Wondra said, the Treasurer’s Office has been able to handle such matters in a timely manner. It has even taken care of some titles.
“This is a tool to use if you can’t legitimately get your work done,” Wondra said.
“The state’s Division of Vehicles sincerely regrets the inconvenience experienced by Kansans who were not able to receive service in a timely manner,” the statement reads. “The division also is grateful to county treasurers and their staffs for their continued collaboration during this transition. County treasurers were not responsible for today’s slowdown and provided service under challenging circumstances.”
The grace periods KDR coordinated with Kansas law enforcement for those unable to renew their vehicle tags or get license plates for new vehicles and are unable to do so before expiration include:
 • Vehicle tag which expired April 30 (last names starting with C and D) will be granted a grace period through May 31
• Vehicle tags which expire May 31 (last names starting with E, F or G) will be granted a grace period through June 29
• For 30-Day Permits, the old cardboard style 30-day permits can be displayed on vehicles through June 29
• For 30-day permits that will expire between May 1 and May 31, there will be a grace period through June 29.
The department said the full resources of the system vendor, 3M, and the KDR were focused throughout Monday on identifying and fixing the problem. Even with the delay Monday afternoon, the system was able to process several thousand transactions and county offices will be open Tuesday.
“While some people must come into a treasurer’s office to handle their vehicle business, many do not,” the statement reads. “We urge those who need to renew their vehicle tags to use the online systemwww.ksrevenue.org or mail in renewals to their county treasurers.”
It’s been over two weeks since the Barton County Treasure’s Office reopened to vehicle business after a week-long hiatus as the Kansas Department of Revenue upgraded offices across the state to a new software and computer system. The goal was improve efficiency and usability.
The new computer system replaced three 30-plus-year-old mainframe systems used for driver licensing, motor vehicle titling and registration, and inventory management with a single, more easily operated system. The switch involved treasurer’s offices and drivers license offices, and allowed for better integration between the two.
The system, designed by computer giant 3M, should have been up and running last summer. But, there were numerous delays.
Wondra’s office could handle renewals in the first week, but had to wait about a week to process vehicle titles.