People registering vehicles in Douglas County are facing far fewer problems and delays than people in some other parts of the state, including our neighbors to the east and west: Johnson and Shawnee counties.

The Shawnee County Treasurer’s Office closed its motor vehicle divisions Tuesday so it could try to catch up on a three-week backlog that has resulted from the state Department of Motor Vehicles’ switch to a new computer software system. According to news reports, waits at the Shawnee office continue to be up to eight hours and offices in both Shawnee and Johnson counties continue to close around noon to try to keep up.

By contrast, customers at the Douglas County Treasurer’s Office are experiencing relatively short waits to renew tags and register vehicles. Treasurer Paula Gilchrist said Wednesday that the office continues to experience a few problems, especially with internal reporting procedures, but is able to keep up pretty well with its online and mail renewals, as well as with customers who come to the office.

Gilchrist said Douglas County’s lower volume of business probably helped it avoid some of the problems in Johnson and Shawnee counties, but she also said her staff was working at full speed and logging significant overtime to keep up with the changes.

Whatever the reason, Douglas County residents should be grateful for the service they are receiving as the state works through this troublesome computer issue.