The Carroll County Board of Supervisors voted during yesterday’s (Monday) meeting to move the county’s passport processing back to the county’s Environmental Health Office. County officials decided in December 2022 to move passport responsibilities to the GIS administrator, Sarah Haberl, so that the service would be located out of the courthouse and more available to the public compared to the Fricke Building. However, Haberl will no longer be able to manage passports after taking over as Carroll County Assessor. Due to federal laws restricting staff who handle vital records from issuing passports, the county has few options for what offices can manage them. Interim District 5 Supervisor Mark Beardmore says this is a service that residents have come to expect from the county.
District 3 Supervisor Gene Meiners doesn’t like the idea of moving passports out of the courthouse, as this could lead to challenges for the elderly or disabled traveling to the annex and back, potentially multiple times.
Part of the rationale for moving passports away from Environmental Health was staff availability, as the supervisors had received complaints about Environmental Health staff being in the field when people came in without scheduling ahead of time. Environmental Health Director Carey Kersey notes they did most of their applications by appointment and only guaranteed walk-ins on Wednesday, but they can adjust their hours if necessary. Beardmore says it is not an ideal solution, but Environmental Health can immediately pick up the service without training or additional staff.
The supervisors voted 4-1, with Meiners being the sole nay vote, to move passports back to Environmental Health out of the Fricke Building on Court Street. It will take around two weeks for Environmental Health to finalize their paperwork with the U.S. State Department to be authorized for passport applications. Haberl will continue offering passport services out of the Recorder’s Office in the meantime until the responsibility transfers offices.
