Kauaʻi County Council on Wednesday approved covering the $2.50 convenience fees for online motor vehicle registration renewals and sewer payments following the Sept. 9 fire that continues to disrupt walk-in services at the Kapule Building in Līhuʻe after Hurricane Lowell.
The proposal would shift the fees charged by Tyler Technologies’ online payment system from customers to the county, according to an Oct. 2 memorandum from Finance Director Chelsie Sakai to Council Chair Mel Rapozo.
Under the proposed memorandum of understanding with Hawaiʻi Information Consortium LLC, which operates as Tyler Hawaiʻi, the county would reimburse the company for the $2.50 convenience fee charged on each eligible transaction. It includes online motor vehicle registration renewals and sewer service payments on Kauaʻi.
The rebuild of Kauaʻi County’s Kāpule Building located at the Līʻhuʻe Civic Center remains in its early stages following a fire that caused extensive damage to the Līhuʻe government facility, county officials told Kauaʻi Now.
Customers would still be responsible for applicable government fees and payment processing charges, including a 2.2% credit card fee or a $1 fee for payments made by electronic check.
The agreement is intended to ease access to essential county services after the fire at the Kapule Building eliminated in-person access, while at the same time encouraging the community to use the online portals.
Tyler Hawaiʻi would modify the county’s online payment services to remove its convenience fees and bill the county monthly for the waived charges. The county would have 30 days to pay each valid invoice.
The County of Kauaʻi’s Director of Finance, Chelsie A. Sakai, explained that the county was able to work with vendor Tyler Hawaiʻi to absorb the convenience fee.
“Do we know what our monthly revenue for this convenience fee is on a regular monthly basis?” Kauaʻi County Chair Mel Rapozo asked Sakai.
“About 600 transactions a month,” said Sakai.
Those 600 transactions generate a little over $1,800 dollars a month.
Rapozo then asked,”How long will this last?” siting that there is “no end date.”
“Correct, said Sakai. “There is no end date. We are working diligently with our IT department to get our system up and running; we expect it very, very soon,” she said with a hesitant expression.
She also did not provide an exact end date.
The fee changes would take effect after Tyler Hawaiʻi completes the necessary system modifications, with implementation required no later than 30 days after the agreement’s final signature.
The county could later reinstate the convenience fees by providing at least 30 days’ written notice.
However, Rapozo mentioned the amount paid to Tyler Hawaiʻi was “not significant, so it really makes sense for the County to pay for that all the time,” he said.
“So that people can feel more encouraged to do it online and not pay the two fifty and have them drive into Līhuʻe and clog up traffic.”
Specifically, for North Shore Island residents who currently have no gasoline available on Tuesdays.
The Princeville Shopping Center’s temporary pod gas station is closed every Tuesday, and just last week, Aloha Gas in Kīlauea announced a temporary three-month closure for renovations.
Residents seeking further information regarding their property tax, driverʻs licene renewals, or road tests can contact the Kauaʻi Division of Motor Vehicles at 808-241-1949 or kauaidmv@kauai.gov. Or through the countyʻs website by clicking here.
Self-service kiosks are also available at the following locations:
Western Motors, 3680 Kaumualiʻi Highway in Hanapēpē
Safeway, 4454 Nuhou St. in Līhuʻe
Safeway, 4-831 Kūhiō Highway in Kapaʻa
Foodland, 5-4280 Kūhiō Highway in Princeville
Kauaʻi commercial drivers and their employers are also reminded that a temporary relief from some licensing and record-review requirements under a federal waiver has been issued.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s three-month waiver allows the state and Kauaʻi County Division of Motor Vehicles to extend commercial driver’s licenses and commercial learner’s permits that expired or came due for renewal on or after Sept. 9.
The waiver also provides an exemption for motor carriers that were unable to complete required annual motor vehicle record reviews because of the DMV closure.
The waiver will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2026, or 14 days after Kauaʻi DMV services are restored, whichever occurs first.
Click here to learn more about the waiver.
