By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Taxes have long been a balancing act. By charging a $2.50 facility fee when patrons use the Barton County Treasurer’s Office in person, Treasurer Jim Jordan was trying to shift the tax burden from landowners in the county to all residents who register a vehicle. In its last session, the Kansas Legislature approved Senate Bill 325, which created the Vehicle Services Modernization Task Force. Jordan, who will serve on that task force, approached the Barton County Commission Tuesday morning for approval of a new $10 motor vehicle transaction fee.
“This resolution is a result of the passage of Senate Bill 325, which removes the facility fee, and adds the state transaction fee,” Jordan said. “It’s up to the commissioners to pass this resolution for the $10 state transaction fee for the period from Jan. 1, 2027, to Dec. 31, 2029. This should make the motor vehicle department self-sufficient and not relying on property taxes to keep it operating.”
County treasurers have long complained about running into local deficits while doing the state’s work. The state legislature allowed the addition of facility fees to offset those deficits. Jordan said the $2.50 facility fee will drop on July 1, 2026, and the new $10 motor vehicle transaction fee will be money the county keeps.
“This is a fee that helps get us healthy, that makes the state responsible for paying us doing their job,” Jordan said. “We do 90 percent of the work, and they get 75 percent of the money. We’ve only added the $2.50 facility fee to try to help reduce the reliance on property tax. That was done three or four years ago.”
The commission voted 5-0 to approve the fee. Commissioner Barb Esfeld noted paying this $10 fee will save money someplace else, and commended Jordan for his continued work on improvements to motor vehicle services.
“Thank you for staying with that,” she said. “It shouldn’t have been as difficult as it was, but you worked many hours and kept at it. You didn’t give up, and the Treasurer’s Association didn’t give up, and I appreciate that.”