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Treasurer's office labor shortage, long lines spur push for kiosks, staffing and hours review
Summary
Treasurer Annette Brandt told commissioners her office is struggling with long in-person waits for motor-vehicle and title transactions and recommended more hiring and broader use of self-service kiosks while commissioners weighed four-day vs five-day public hours and potential software and kiosk purchases.
Pennington County Treasurer Annette Brandt told the Board of Commissioners the busiest county front-line office is grappling with long in-person wait times for motor-vehicle and title work and presented a mix of near-term and technology-based responses she said could reduce lines.
Lede and why it matters: Brandt said her office handled a surge in complex title work during a software conversion and that some motor-vehicle visitors now face average waits measured in tens of minutes to more than an hour for title transfers. Those delays affect citizens paying taxes, registering vehicles and getting urgent documents; commissioners pressed for near-term solutions including temporary hires and more self-service terminals.
What the treasurer proposed: Brandt said the office has 26.75 staff positions and that eight are experienced, long-term employees; the office currently has a number of employees with fewer than four years on the job and seven were hired this year. She said she is asking for limited overtime and recommended temporary over-hiring in the short term so new hires can be trained in advance and available to cover peak windows. She said that, historically, the office has budgeted conservatively for benefits and that she could request a supplement if elections of staff members require benefit changes.
Self-service kiosks and state equipment: Brandt said the state maintains three self-service motor-vehicle terminals in the area and that demand has grown at the courthouse terminal since hours shifts changed and the county moved some services to Concourse. She explained the state told county staff it would not add another terminal until it fully deploys the new 605 Drive system; Brandt said the state has proposed adding one to the county's allotment in 2027, and she has asked whether the county could buy a terminal earlier and have the state take it over later. Brandt and several commissioners discussed placing a kiosk offsite (Box Elder was mentioned) or at Concourse and the difficulty of getting additional terminals from the state.
Queuing system and hours policy: Brandt and staff reported that an electronic queuing system was introduced in February to manage the public line; commissioners and staff said the system helped separate short transactions from lengthy title work but that some public frustration resulted when people in the queue were not present at the counter at their turn. Brandt said many comment cards favor a five-day public schedule but also that most public input asked the county to address the length of the treasurer's line. Commissioners asked the treasurer to return with metrics comparing four-day and five-day scheduling and the queuing system's effect on completed transactions.
Fees and electronic payments: Brandt said the county has reduced the online eCheck fee from $1.50 to $0.19 and absorbed the cost last quarter to encourage electronic payments; that change cost the county roughly $2,846 through May but reduced friction for users. She also presented credit-card processing totals and noted online credit-card fees are significant (roughly $40,000 in a recent period for in-person credit-card use) and asked staff to weigh alternatives and messaging that push low-fee electronic payment options.
Commissioner direction and next steps: Commissioners recommended temporary hires to help reduce lines while staff refine the overtime and scheduling lines in the 2026 budget. Several commissioners asked County Manager/Commission Director Jordan to analyze and present usage data for existing self-service terminals and for comparable jurisdictions (Sioux Falls and others) so the board can decide whether to request additional terminals from the state or to purchase machines for placement in the county.
Ending: Brandt said she will continue to hire and train staff and work with the auditor, IT and the state to explore kiosk placements and software conversions; commissioners set a follow-up timeline for staffing and kiosk discussions during the ongoing budget process.
