Burbank offering passport-processing services
City of Burbank passport agent Megan Anghel, left, administers an oath to Burbank resident Anna Krestyn, right, during the passport application process at the new passport application facility inside City Hall in Burbank on Thursday, October 8, 2015. The oath verifies that everything in the application is true. The passport application facility opened Oct. 1 and is within the city clerk’s office.
Burbank resident Peter Yano got a heck of a deal on a trip to a resort in Cabo San Lucas — around $500 for an all-inclusive seven-day stay, including $225 airfare — but his passport was set to expire in less than six months, which could present problems when traveling.
It wouldn’t have been a problem on the departure in about eight weeks, he said, but it might have left him stuck in limbo in Mexico, which requires a minimum six months of validity.
Yano found that he was able to renew his passport closer than he expected — Burbank City Hall.
“I was surprised,” Yano said as he was getting his passport renewed on Thursday.
It’s a fairly new service, actually. The city clerk’s office began offering passport-processing services by appointment with a “soft opening” on Oct. 1, and it’s been booked since the first appointment the following morning, City Clerk Zizette Mullins said.
“It’s a good problem to have,” she said. “We haven’t even advertised yet.”
Though the advertising push hasn’t started, she said the new service has been announced at City Council meetings, in fliers and on Facebook. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Monday, and city staff are working on a public-service announcement, she said.
Appointments for the service are available every half hour between 9 a.m. and noon on weekdays, except Wednesday when the hours are 1 to 3 p.m. Each appointment takes about 20 to 25 minutes.
“It depends on the application,” said Megan Anghel, a city staff member who helped with Yano’s paperwork. “For the most part now, we’ve kind of got the hang of it.”
Passport appointments can be made by calling (818) 238-5851. Mullins said an online appointment-scheduling program is under development.
Mullins proposed adding passport services to her office’s duties in June as a convenience for city residents, something she said city clerks in other areas are also doing. After reworking the proposal, she gained City Council approval in a 4-1 vote in early August.
Councilman Will Rogers cast the only opposing vote, saying he stood where he had in June.
“My concern is that this is, while a useful service, well out of the realm of what I see the city clerk’s mission as being,” he said in June, arguing that he would like to see the office improve its core functions, such as recording council meeting minutes, before adding services.
The budget for the new service is roughly $13,600, including about $2,000 for specialized equipment and supplies. About $11,600 will pay for a part-time employee who will work 19 hours a week but will not be eligible for benefits, including a state pension. Five staff members are trained to process the applications, Mullins said.
She said she hopes the new service will generate enough revenue through $25 processing fees and $12 photo fees to pay for itself. If the office processes an average 25 applications and photos a week, the service would generate $48,100 a year.
The Post Office in Burbank stopped offering passport services more than a year ago as the U.S. Postal Service began consolidating passport processing at “mega” passport acceptance centers. Postal Service spokesman Richard Maher said the goal was to provide better service with more dedicated staff and extended hours.
The closest passport centers to Burbank are in Van Nuys, Glendale and Santa Clarita, Maher said. Hours vary, but all three are generally open at least four weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. — some open earlier or close later — and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to at least 3 p.m.
Maher said the mega centers, which have a staff of five or six clerks, don’t require appointments and operate with an “assembly-line concept” that moves applicants through the process more quickly.
Anna Krestyn, a Burbank resident who was getting a new passport in the city clerk’s office on Thursday, said she was able to get an appointment right away.
“The hard part is collecting the documents,” she said, referring to the birth certificate and other items needed for the application.
Yano said his passport-processing experience was pleasant. “[They were] real helpful and real nice and real clear,” he said.