CITY HALL Clerk of council offers passport applications

The clerk got the idea from a counterpart in a Portage County city.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- People planning to travel abroad have another option to apply for their passport.
The city's clerk of council office, located on the first floor of the municipal justice building, 141 South St. S.E., has been accepted to participate in the passport application acceptance program. Clerk Darla Neugebauer and Deputy Clerk Brenda E. Smith applied with the Passport Office in New Orleans, a division of the U.S. Department of State to get the authorization.
Neugebauer said she got the idea from the clerk of Kent, Ohio, whom she met at a clerks conference.
The service begins Monday and will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
"We always get calls from people who are looking for where to get their passports," Smith said, adding that she and Neugebauer are excited about the new service they're offering.
The office can't issue passports, only take applications. To apply, individuals must present proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate, an expired and undamaged U.S. passport or original naturalization certificate; proof of identification; and two passport photographs taken within the last six months.
"We hope to be able to do the photos here in the future," Neugebauer said.
Fees
Processing fees, which are set by the U.S. Passport office, are $55 in a check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State or $40 for people 15 years and younger; and $30 check made out to the city for the execution fee.
"I think it's great," said Robert A. Marchese, council president. "There are a multitude of areas that the clerk's office can do and it's a credit to these two. They saw it in their training and continuing education."
He agreed that many people aren't sure where to go to apply for a passport.
"The clerk's office in a lot of ways is really an untapped resource simply because they have to know so much of what's going on in the city," Marchese said.
The clerks will send the application to New Orleans where it will be approved or rejected and returned to the applicant's home address. Regular processing takes 25 business days while expedited processing, which costs more, takes three business days.
"It's a way for us to reach out to the citizens," Neugebauer said. "It's a service we can provide them."
denise_dick@vindy.com