Santaquin’s City Council on Tuesday approved a local fee schedule for the city’s recently opened passport office, a move staff said will formalize how the office collects a modest execution fee and charges for photos.

Staff told the council the first full day of the passport service was “very, very busy,” with several appointments and many callers requesting slots. Staff noted the city can collect a $35 execution fee for new passport applications; federal passport fees and mailing postage are remitted to the U.S. Department of State or USPS, not retained by the city. The council approved Resolution 11-02 by voice vote.

Why it matters: the new service keeps a federal document application point-of-contact closer to residents and generates a small local revenue stream for the city for execution and auxiliary services such as passport photos.

Details and context: staff described the city-set photo fee as discretionary and recommended a modest charge to cover local costs (the proposed amount discussed in the meeting was $15). Staff said renewals are generally handled by applicants themselves but the office can provide passport photos for renewals. City staff reported they helped six individuals the first day and had several dozen appointments already scheduled for the coming days.

Council discussion focused on the practicalities of the service and funding: one councilmember asked whether the photo fee could be paid from existing recreation or other local funds; staff said they would research funding options and confirm whether other local funding streams apply. The presentation made clear the $35 ‘‘execution’’ fee is the only federally-authorized local fee for new passports that the city collects; other statutory federal fees go directly to the U.S. Department of State.

A staff member who introduced the passport update said, “Today was just the first day…it's exciting” and that the office has received strong positive feedback from residents grateful to have the service closer to home. (Quote attributed to a staff speaker who introduced the passport update.)

Next steps: staff will finalize administrative details, publish the office’s available services (including passport photos) on the city’s social channels and in the newsletter, and return with any clarifications requested by council about funding sources for the discretionary photo fee.

Provenance: topicintro: SEG 249; topfinish: SEG 367.