County clerks voice concerns over Kentucky's new KAVIS system

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Elected officials in Kentucky were brief on issues facing Kentucky's new vehicle information system in Frankfort on Tuesday.

The switch to KAVIS happened in January, and it has caused transactions to hit a traffic jam. Kentucky shut down all registrations on Jan. 1 so it could make the transition. It caused a lot of roadblocks by disrupting decals, plates, disabled parking permits, registrations or transfers until mid-January.

The former system, Avis, had been used by the state's motor vehicle administration for nearly 50 years. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet had been trying to switch to the new KAVIS system since 2001, but now that it has made the transition, wait times ended up being extended by 25 minutes earlier in the year.

On Tuesday, lawmakers got an earful while transportation officials said things are getting better. But some county clerks said the new system is costing money and time, along with adding stress.

"I am here because our customers, the taxpayer, asked me to be here," Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw said.

One by one, county clerks from across the state shared some of the issues they're having with Kentucky's new KAVIS system.

"We have so many issues," Holsclaw said.

Holsclaw said KAVIS is hurting dozens of car dealers and costing them millions of dollars.

"The smaller dealerships are drowning and they bring in a lot of taxpayer money into the state and I do believe they deserve better," said Holsclaw.

Kentucky state Rep. Thomas Huff is also a car dealer in Bullitt County. He can empathize with some of the complaints being shared by the clerks because of a delay in getting titles.

"Biggest issue is that it's taking so long to get the approvals on the titles," Huff said. "I've got about 25 cars right now ready to sell that I don't have the paperwork on so they're not on the lot. I am waiting."

Heather Stout with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said there is a lot of misinformation, which makes KAVIS an easy target.

"There are minor issues still occurring in the system for you, unique cases that are occurring at random throughout the year," Stout said. "It varies based on the clerk, based on the staff they have, based on the processes they have in their office, based on their constituent, based on their volume of transactions."

Stout said overall the system is working.

"You're going to hear discrepancies, some clerks love it and are really excited to see where it goes over the next few months, and some are still struggling with it," Stout said.

Transportation officials said they are already seeing improvements, but it will take at least a year to eliminate all of the bugs.

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