Sedgwick County offers guidance to work through tag office troubles

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - It’s a problem that persists in Sedgwick County and one that many fear is only going to get worse with a consolidation plan. The latest example of wait-time issues with the Sedgwick County tag office was on display early Wednesday morning as the line to get into the building near Douglas and Meridian began hours begore the office opened.

Last week, the Sedgwick County Commission voted to consolidate tag offices and close the East Kellogg location.

In a Sept. 26 news conference, Sedgwick County Treasurer Brandi Baily cited a lack of state funding as the driving factor behind the decision. The move represents a significant cost-saving measure for the county as it faces budget constraints. County leaders have said that there wouldn’t be much disruption with services expanding at the West Douglas office.

But as of this week, frustrations and stressors continue with wait times and people trying to meet tag-renewal deadlines. Maybe you only have a couple of weeks to renew your license plate tag and you’re worried about getting an appointment at the tag office. What should you do?

Starting on the Sedgwick County tag office website, trying to schedule your appointment online, getting into the virtual queue, can also be a challenge. Depending on when you try to schedule your appointment, you’re likely to get a message that the queue has already reached its capacity.

If you try to make an appointment for a future date, there’s a chance that you’ll get another message informing you that “no days are currently available. If you drive to the tag office to make an appointment in-person, there is good news and there is bad news.

The good news is that if you only need to renew your tags, the line for doing so has only been about a 15-minute wait. But if you need to register a new vehicle, this is where people have waited for hours in a virtual queue or outside the tag office. We’ve seen a 400% increase since this time last year in foot traffic coming into the office,” Bailey said.

She explained that this is mainly d to personalized plates.

“Every five years, the state statute says that personalized plates have to be replaced. We are in that five-year cycle,” Bailey said.

So, what’s the solution? Bailey encourages you to sign up for the virtual queue from home.

“Just continue to check throughout the day; there’s times that as we’re getting through people quickly or people aren’t showing up, we open those lines back up throughout the day,” Bailey said.

The county treasurer advises to sign up for a spot in the virtual queue when it opens at 8:30 a.m. instead of waiting outside to get into the tag office before the doors open. You’re also advised to keep an eye on that virtual queue time as you may be able to get service before the estimated time that you’ll see when you sign up.

How to sign up for the virtual queue: From home, text 316-395-2940 and using the keyword: SGDouglasTag. That will put you in the virtual queue and you’ll be notified when it’s time for your appointment.

In addition to the Douglas Tag Office (in the 2500 block of West Douglas, near Douglas and Meridian), Sedgwick County residents can complete their tag business at satellite locations:

• Kansas Driver Licensing in Derby – 620 N. Rock Rd., Ste. 300, Derby, KS 67037
• Wichita West Kansas Driver Licensing – 610 S. Tyler Rd., Wichita, KS 67209
• Park City City Hall – 1941 E. 61st Street N., Park City, KS 67219

But even with these options, many report still experiencing delays. With the personalized license plate renewals happening this year, Sedgwick County Commissioner Ryan Baty said the more-than-400% increase in the tag office on top of normal traffic is “something tag offices across the state of Kansas simply are not prepared to handle.”

Sedgwick County said it is trying to fix the issue as soon as possible and hopes the state will either modernize its server or give the county a server of its own.

Baty said that any large system reform will have to wait until the next Kansas legislative session begins in January.