Those new Kansas license plates? Program has been delayed

The state of Kansas has delayed the launch date for its new vehicle plates.

The original start date was Aug. 1, and that’s been posted for weeks on the Department of Revenue’s website. But on Friday, state officials said the go-live date for the license plates has been delayed until Aug. 15.

This is the first time in about a decade that Kansas license plates are getting a makeover. In the past, the embossed plates were manufactured in bulk at a plant in Wichita. Under the new program, the plates will be created, still in Wichita, using a digital printer that prints letters and numbers on a background, then bonds the background material to a flat metal plate.

While the program is overseen by the Department of Revenue’s motor vehicles division, customers go to motor vehicle offices run by the county treasurers for their vehicle registrations and to arrange for a plate.

Johnson County Treasurer Tom Franzen said his office had been told by the state that minor tweaks in the digital processing system required the two-week delay.

“The new system is positioned well to start production, and the purpose of the new date for the public is to give time for final tweaks and printing adjustments with the vendor,” Rachel Whitten, spokeswoman for the Department of Revenue, said in a statement.

Officials emphasize that not everyone needs a new vehicle plate. This new program applies only to people who register a new vehicle without transferring a plate, or those moving from another state, or those who change from a standard to specialty plate, or when a vehicle plate is lost, stolen or damaged.

The county has been worried that the new system will cause confusion because it involves a new delivery method. In the past, motorists went to the county offices to get both their registration stickers and their vehicle plates. But under the new system, as of Aug. 15, the print-on-demand process will create a license plate that will be mailed from the Wichita manufacturing site to the owner’s address.

That means that, beginning Aug. 15, a customer receiving a new plate as part of the transaction will leave the office with a 30-day temporary plate and the registration sticker. The permanent plate will be mailed directly to the customer in 10 to 14 business days.

Franzen and others emphasized that people need to hang onto the registration sticker until the new permanent plate arrives, and then put that sticker on the new plate.

This is the second time this week that the Department of Revenue’s motor vehicle division has been in the news. Earlier this week, the department was roundly criticized by residents over long lines at its driver’s license offices, which are run by the state and are separate from the county-run motor vehicle offices.

State officials announced a series of planned improvements to try to address those complaints.

Johnson County commissioners were irate this week about the Department of Revenue’s handling of these challenges. Commissioner Jim Allen said at Thursday’s meeting that he still thinks people expect to be able to pick up a new vehicle plate from the local office, not have to wait for one to be mailed to them. He was also frustrated about the state’s poor customer service at the two driver’s license offices in Johnson County.

“It reflects badly on us,” Allen said. “Something needs to change.”

He said the offices should have systems where people can accomplish more functions online so they don’t have long waits. He suggested that the county summon Revenue Department officials for a meeting in September, once the busy summer season calms down, to talk about more improvements.

“Make it more customer friendly,” Allen said.

This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 11:02 AM.