Reducing Costs and Increasing Efficiency: The Orange County Passport Program

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The Orange County Clerk-Recorder department launched an efficient passport acceptance program in May 2021 to address long wait times and difficulty securing appointments at passport acceptance facilities due to the surge in demand. The department trained and certified staff as passport agents, opened offices strategically to best serve the people, and offered appointments and walk-ins to customers at initially two passport acceptance facilities. They also participated in several outreach opportunities to promote their services, resulting in 3,406 passport photos processed and 5,160 passport applications accepted, bringing in $214,660 in revenue in 2021. In response to growing demand, they opened a third location and reduced the cost of passport photos from $10 to $7. In 2022, there was an increase of 113.3% in the number of passports accepted, equaling 11,005 applications, and 122.2% increase in passport photos processed, totaling 7,567 passport photos. The program generated $266,962 in revenue, a 24.4% increase from previous years. The Orange County Clerk-Recorder department continues to find ways to better serve constituents while reducing expenses through adopting technology to increase efficiency with more operating hours.