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Cobb state court adds passport applications
Cobb County State Court Clerk Tanisha Phillips will launch passport application services in Downtown Marietta Square on Nov. 2, designating all fee revenue for office use after the previous program was halted when former clerk Connie Taylor was suspended and indicted on records destruction charges.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Cobb County residents can soon get their passports processed at the courthouse once again when Cobb County State Court launches a new application service Nov. 2.
The move restores a vital local service that vanished about a year ago following a scandal in a different court.
New passport launch
What we know:
Services return under Cobb County State Court Clerk Tahnicia Phillips, marking what is believed to be the first time a Georgia state court has handled passport processing.
"The buzz around town is that it was taking a very long time to get passports and there weren't as many locations available," Phillips said.
The physical office setup provides a central spot for residents needing renewal and processing help. "Very convenient right here in the Marietta square," Phillips said.
Passport applications
The backstory:
Passport applications previously went through the Cobb County Superior Court Clerk's office. Those operations stopped when Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor.
Taylor faced intense scrutiny after officials discovered she kept more than $400,000 in passport fees as personal compensation, which is allowed under state law, but then allegedly ordered an employee to destroy related records. Taylor was later indicted on charges of destruction of public records and violation of oath of office.
State court fee rules
Local perspective:
Unlike superior court clerks, Georgia law forbids state court clerks from keeping execution or processing fees as personal income.
"The law doesn't allow the state court clerk to accept the money as personal compensation," Phillips said.
Phillips emphasized that every dollar collected from the new initiative will remain inside local government accounts. "The fee application money is going to be designated for office use only," Phillips said.
Phillips stated she looks forward to rolling out the service to make county government more accessible and convenient.
Processing hours and appointments
What we don't know:
Officials don't know yet how many passport applications they'll be processing, but say it will likely start small and grow. Hours will be Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm. Appointments are required.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Cobb County State Court Clerk Tahnicia Phillips, who outlined the launch of the service and fee rules, as well as reporting from FOX 5 Atlanta live broadcast coverage by Denise Dillon.