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Treasurer outlines fee changes under Senate Bill 325 and seeks authority to print renewal notices
Summary
Treasurer Adam Raines told commissioners the state’s Senate Bill 325 changes motor-vehicle fees to per-transaction charges, allowing counties to set up to $10 per transaction; the proposed 2027 budget assumes $5 and includes a supplemental request (~$90,000) to print customized renewal notices locally.
County treasurer Adam Raines briefed the commission on the effect of Senate Bill 325, which changes motor-vehicle fees from location-based to per-transaction charges beginning in 2027. The treasurer said the proposed 2027 budget assumes a $5 per-transaction fee (up from $3), and that range from $1–$5 is within the treasurer’s authority while any increase beyond $5 (up to $10) would require commission action.
"One to $5 is within my authority," said Adam Raines, county treasurer. He explained the $6–$10 authority rests with the commission and that the $6–$10 increment will sunset in December 2029 under current state legislation. Staff estimated that setting the fee at $10 would fully cover motor-vehicle employee benefits and leave a modest excess; the proposed budget uses $5 as the planning assumption.
Raines also presented a supplemental request to take over renewal-printing from the state to gain control of the renewal file and allow customized messages, potential kiosks, and lockbox options. He estimated the printing option would cost roughly $90,000 in start-up; staff said only a small number of counties currently print their own renewals (Johnson County cited). Raines said the county opted out of heavy commercial-vehicle processing earlier this year because those transactions demanded lengthy staff time and stringent KDOR audits; that change reduces fee income (roughly $80,000 in fees) but not the tax distribution.
Why it matters: the fee structure change affects how motor-vehicle services are funded and what services can be supported by the motor-vehicle fund rather than by property taxes. Commissioners asked about implementation timing (the change can take effect July 1 for transaction charging, with commission-set fee changes to take effect in January 2027 if adopted by October) and whether surrounding counties were moving to the $10 level.
What happens next: the commission can choose to include a higher fee assumption in the 2027 budget or leave the $5 assumption and decide later whether to propose a higher fee for commission approval.
