City applies to become passport acceptance facility

The Menifee City Council last week approved staff’s proposal to apply to the U.S. Department of State to become a passport acceptance facility.

The idea, first mentioned by Mayor Pro Tem Lesa Sobek, was presented as a formal proposal at the July 21 council meeting by city clerk Sarah Manwaring. If the proposal is approved, City Hall would process passport applications for individuals for the mandated acceptance fee of $35, plus the cost of the application itself.

According to the U.S. Department of State website, the standard application fee for an adult passport book is $110. That amount, made payable to the U.S. Department of State, would be submitted at City Hall, along with a $35 acceptance fee, made payable to the City of Menifee for processing costs.

All passport acceptance facilities charge the same acceptance fee to cover processing costs. Manwaring assured council members that her department could handle the processing of applications with current staffing levels.

“We have an analyst position already approved that could handle this,” Manwaring said. “I am confident we have the staffing to get started.”

The closes passport acceptance facility is the Winchester Post Office and the earliest application appointment at most acceptance facilities is in October, Manwaring said. Nearly 20 million passport books and passport cards are issued each year, and increased travel of late is resulting in a greater demand. The wait for passport approval is as much as 18 weeks, she said.

After applying to the State Department to become a passport acceptance facility, City of Menifee staff members involved in the program would be required to meet qualification and training requirements to be a passport acceptance agent.

“We’re here to serve,” Mayor Bill Zimmerman said. “This is another opportunity for us to do that.”

The proposal was approved, 4-0.