27-02-2025
Cobb Superior Court clerk repaying $84K in passport fees
Cobb County Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor is going to repay thousands in passport shipping fees that she collected over her first two years.
The Cobb County Commission voted on Tuesday night to a check from Taylor's office to repay the funds.
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An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found that the amount Taylor would need to repay is close to $84,000.
State law allows superior court clerks to keep the $35 processing fee when someone applies for a passport as a way to supplement their salary.
But Cobb County officials say Taylor also kept a $24.70 expedited shipping fee that should have gone to the county.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found Taylor collected more than $425,000 in passport fees in 2021 and 2022 combined, in addition to the $170,000 salary she receives.
Libby Blackwell, Taylor's chief operating officer, said they have been prepared to return the money for the last two years, and they have already returned $43,750 for expedited passport fees collected in 2023 and 2024.
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