Cobb County residents will be able to apply for passports at the downtown Marietta courthouse again starting Monday, Nov. 2, this time through a brand-new office built specifically to avoid the kind of financial scandal that shut the old service down. Cobb County State Court Clerk Tahnicia Phillips is launching the U.S. Passport Acceptance Facility at 12 East Park Square, with appointments required Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The service marks the return of in-person passport help to Marietta Square after Cobb County's prior passport operation, run out of the Superior Court Clerk's office, came to a halt amid a criminal case against former Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor. According to East Cobb News, Taylor was suspended by Gov. Brian Kemp on charges of destroying government records and violating her oath of office. Each applicant at the new facility must book a separate appointment, and the office will process eligible first-time adult and minor passport applications.
A Scandal Rooted in Passport Fees
Taylor's downfall traces back to money collected through the very passport program the county is now trying to rebuild public trust around. The Georgia Attorney General's office announced that Taylor had been indicted on two counts each of destruction of public records and violation of oath of office, according to a release from the Office of the Georgia Attorney General. Per East Cobb News, she is accused of directing an employee to delete government emails and financial records, and the outlet reports her trial is scheduled for January 2027.
The dollar figures tied to the case vary depending on the source. WSB-TV reported that Taylor collected more than $425,000 in passport fees during 2021 and 2022 combined, on top of the $170,000 salary she receives, while a separate WSB-TV report put the figure at a little more than $400,000 collected over a two-year period. The station also reported that Taylor's office had already returned $43,750 in expedited passport fees collected in 2023 and 2024, with close to $84,000 still owed.
Conflicting Accounts of What State Law Allows
Whether any of that money was legally hers to keep remains disputed. One WSB-TV report states that Georgia law allows superior court clerks to retain some passport-processing fees as personal compensation in addition to their salary. A separate excerpt from a Georgia General Assembly statutes summary, reviewed as part of this reporting, references a requirement that clerks and probate judges report the total amount of passport application or processing fees and other remuneration they receive to county governing authorities, though that excerpt alone does not spell out the full compensation rule.
The new State Court program is structured to sidestep that debate entirely. East Cobb News reports that fees collected through the program will go to the passport program itself rather than to the clerk personally, keeping the revenue inside local government accounts for office use rather than individual pay.
What Comes Next for Local Applicants
Officials expect the new service to grow gradually rather than launch at full volume, with passport-processing numbers at the Marietta office expected to start small and build over time, per FOX 5 Atlanta. Walk-ins will not be accepted, and prospective applicants need an appointment before showing up at the East Park Square office.
Cobb County residents aren't limited to the courthouse, either. Two Cobb County Public Library branches, Mountain View in East Cobb and West Cobb Regional, have continued offering passport services and were approved as Passport Acceptance Facilities by the U.S. Department of State, according to the Cobb County Courier. Those library locations offer passport application acceptance six days a week, including evenings and weekends, though they process only new applications rather than renewals. Select U.S. Post Office locations in the county also provide passport services, East Cobb News notes.
