Sedgwick County commissioners vote Sept. 16, on a proposal to nearly double the tag office transaction fee to $9.50.

Treasurer Brandi Baily is asking the Board of County Commissioners to approve the new fee, which would replace an existing $5 facility fee, KWCH reported. The current $5 charge is not applied to customers who renew online, so the change amounts to roughly a $5 increase for in-person visitors and a new charge for online users.

Baily told KWCH the tag office runs an annual budget deficit that the county has to cover each year. She said the shortfall has left her office unable to offer competitive wages or invest in technology to manage customer volume.

"We know that our wait times are all over the place, and are not accurate at all," Baily said. "And we are looking at options of, bringing in a programmer in, or what we need to do so that we can get a system that is accurate and can better predict a wait time for our customers."

If commissioners approve the fee, Baily said additional revenue would first go toward staff pay to improve retention and staffing levels. Remaining funds would pay for an upgraded customer queue management system that would give visitors reliable wait-time estimates.

The fee proposal follows months of staffing and service challenges at the treasurer's office. Baily closed the Derby satellite tag office at 620 N. Rock Rd. effective July 31, citing challenges that affected both staff and residents.

No commissioner has publicly commented on the fee proposal. The five commissioners vote Wednesday.

If the measure passes and the county files the paperwork with the state before Oct. 1, the new $9.50 fee would take effect in January.