Cobb state court adds passport applications

Passport services will once again be offered in Cobb County Courts. The service had been halted about a year ago after the Cobb Superior Court clerk was suspended. Fox 5's Denise Dillon is live in Cobb County with more. And this was a service that was extremely helpful for Cobb residents, Denise. Yeah, it was certainly convenient for many people. Now, while the application process will be similar, there will be a major difference. It will take place in a different court. It's very convenient right here in the downtown Marietta Square. Cobb County State Court Clerk Tanisha Phillips says her office is launching a passport application service. The buzz around town is that it was taking a very long time to get passports, and there weren't as many locations available. Passport applications used to be provided through the Superior Court Clerk's office. Those ended when Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor was suspended by Governor Brian Kemp. Taylor came under scrutiny after it was discovered that she kept more than $400,000 in passport application fees, something she was allowed to do under Georgia law. But then investigators say she told an employee to destroy records related to those fees. Taylor was later indicted on charges of destruction of public records and violation of oath of office. The law doesn't allow for the state court clerk to accept the money as personal compensation. Phillips says while Georgia law allows for superior court clerks to keep execution fees, it does not allow state court clerks to do so. The fee execution money is going to be designated for office use only. She says she's looking forward to offering this service as part of her continued effort to make government more accessible and convenient for the community. And Phillips says she believes this is the first state court in Georgia to offer passport services. And it all begins November 2nd. Reporting live in Cobb County, Denise Dillon, Fox 5 News.