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Council hears proposal to add $27.50 congressional-expedite passport postage to fee schedule
Summary
City staff presented an ordinance to add a $27.50 postage pass-through for congressional expedite passport applications; the item will appear on the council agenda for final approval tonight.
Provo City staff presented an ordinance to amend the consolidated fee schedule to add a $27.50 postal charge for congressional-expedite passport applications. The proposal was introduced July 22 during a council work session and is scheduled to appear before the council for action that evening.
Britney Densley, call center manager for customer service, told the council that the city began accepting passport applications in about 2018 and now handles more than 200 applications in peak months. "We had the Western Passport Agency come and ask us if we would be 1 of 2 agencies in Newswa to take congressional expedite passports," Densley said. She said the Western Passport Agency trained Provo staff and requested that the city pass postage costs on to applicants.
The proposed amendment would add a single-line fee of $27.50 to cover overnight postage for expedite packets sent to the regional agency. Densley explained the difference between existing expedite service and the congressional-expedite option: the city already offers a $60 expedite service with a 3-to-6-week turnaround; the congressional-expedite service aims for a 6-to-14-day turnaround and requires overnighting the application.
City staff did not take a vote in the work session; council staff informed the meeting that the item will be on the council agenda later the same day. No public testimony or formal council motion was recorded during the work session. The record shows staff asked whether councilors had questions and confirmed that the ordinance would be scheduled for a formal council meeting.
If the council approves the ordinance at the upcoming meeting, the fee would be added to the consolidated fee schedule and charged to applicants requesting the congressional-expedite option. The work session record does not show a final vote or an effective date for the change.
Councilors and staff said they appreciated the call center's work handling passport processing and photography support for minors and adults. There were no objections recorded to placing the ordinance on the council agenda for decision.
Next steps: the ordinance amending the consolidated fee schedule was scheduled for formal consideration at the council meeting later the same day; the work session provided staff background and public comment but did not include a vote.
