In Cobb and Fulton counties, superior court clerks keep 100% of every $35 passport fee. Since then, Gwinnett County Superior Court Clerk Tiana Garner made close to $100,000. Gwinnett just began processing passports, nine months ago. DeKalb Superior Court Clerk Debra DeBerry pocketed more than $200,000 in 2021. The other $25 go into superior court clerks’ pocket. In DeKalb and Gwinnett counties, $10 of every $35 passport fee goes to the county’s general fund. The remaining $10 goes to a support fund the clerk uses for items like office supplies. In Cherokee County, $25 of every $35 passport fee is sent to the county’s general fund. READ THE ORIGINAL REPORT: Superior court clerks legally pocketing thousands in passport processing feesĪtlanta News First Investigates obtained records from five superior court clerks offices. When you apply for a passport in Georgia, you pay two fees: an application fee of $130 which goes to the federal government, and a processing fee of $35 that goes directly to the superior court clerk, where they can do whatever they want with it. That’s beyond the pale in terms of what the scope of responsibility should be,” Ellis said. The idea that a clerk of court - who is largely just an administrator - is raking in roughly $546,000 a year. “If this is going to be allowed and permitted around the state, there needs to be disclosure to the voters about what type of compensation is coming to these elected officials. In 2021, she pocketed more than $360,000 in passport processing fees. That’s essentially what’s happening here.”Įllis said the lack of transparency bothers him most.įulton County’s Superior Court Clerk Cathelene “Tina” Robinson keeps 100-percent of every $35 passport fee. It would be no different than any elected official setting up a personal office or personal business, using their staff to run the business, but the salary is getting paid by the county and they’re pocketing the profits. “It’s ethically wrong because you’re making money essentially off the backs of the taxpayers. “Thanks to your reporting, that was news to me,” Ellis told Atlanta News First Investigates. That’s in addition to her $180,000 yearly salary. Fulton County’s Superior Court Clerk Cathelene “Tina” Robinson keeps 100-percent of every $35 passport fee. “Every elected official - if there receiving some sort of compensation as a result of doing their job - they should have to disclose it to the public.”Įllis was responding to a recent Atlanta News First investigation which exposed a controversial law allowing superior court clerks to legally pocket thousands of dollars in passport processing fees.Īnd we’re not talking about a few hundred dollars. (Atlanta News First) - “I think it’s ridiculous that we have to learn about this in the context of somebody else reporting it,” Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis said during a recent board meeting.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |