By Dan Murphy
In early 2020, just before the COVID pandemic hit, Yonkers City Clerk Vincent Spano went to the post office with his wife to renew their passports for an upcoming trip to the Bahamas. The experience stretched out for almost three hours before the papers were filed so that they could take their vacation.
“We waited for an hour and then they took lunch and closed up. They are only open for passports from 1-3pm. When I left I said to my wife, this was bad customer service. There has to be a better way to do this, besides going to the County Clerk in White Plains, said Spano.
The only options for submitting the paperwork and photo to get a US Passports are at your local post office, or the County Clerks office. Until now. The Yonkers City Clerk has opened a Passport office in City Hall. It is the first downstate City Hall in New York to feature an office dedicated to helping individuals apply for US Passports.
City Clerk Spano decided to embark on a mission, (or crazy idea as he put it), to try and open a passport office in Yonkers City Hall. “Nobody in New York State, except for Jamestown did passports in their City Hall. It took a lot of time and paperwork, but we got it approved from the Secretary of State and now we are up and running.”
“I wanted to offer the people of Yonkers another alternative. It seems that you can’t get anyone to answer the phone in a lot of government agencies, and the alternative is to wait for three hours on line. I wanted to open a Passport office where someone actually answers the phone and helps you with your questions,” said Clerk Spano, who explained that while appointments are taken with the Post Office and County Clerk, they are booked until April.
He also realized that there was a need to offer passport services at different times The Yonkers Passport office is open from 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday, and on Tuesday night open until 7pm, by appointment only. “This is all about customer service and making things easier. Everyone is so busy, with work and family and their lives that this might make it a bit easier if you need a passport. You will not find another place in New York State that’s open to 7pm for passports.”
The Yonkers City Clerk’s Passport Office opened on Feb. 7, but the response has been so great that there is already a two week wait to make an appointment. “The interest has been great and the phone is wringing off the hook. Hopefully, we are in the process of putting this pandemic behind us and people will return to normal travel. I am confident that by providing this service, it will make it easier to obtain a passport. We look forward to working with the U. S. Department of State to make it happen.”
Once the paperwork is filed, there is an 8-11 week wait for the NYS Department of State to process your passport. If you decide to pay for an expedited application, it still takes 5-6 weeks.
Spano has also been able to open the Passport office without any increases in staff. “We were able to move some positions around to make it work without hiring anyone else. And the revenues will help the city. That’s another reason to come to City Hall for your passport, but we also do E-Z Pass, licenses and birth certificates. We try to make it a one-stop place to make it easier, and our offices revenues will double.
Spano thanked his team at the clerk’s office, including deputy Clerks Mike Ramondelli and Nerissa Pena, for their help in setting this up, and Mayor Mike Spano for helping with the office set up. And the approval of the City Council.
So far, the response from the residents of Yonkers has been positive, on social media, and in the proof that in their first week of operations, appointments are sold out for two weeks.
Other enhancements added to the City Clerk’s Office in the last few years include, ·partnering with Vitalchek to make online requests for Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates possible, E-ZPass® “On-the-Go” program, the easiest and fastest way to start an E-ZPass account, and Dog License applications and renewals now available online
To learn more about getting a passport,. Call 914-377-8099 or email Passports@YonkersNY.gov to schedule your appointment today.The Yonkers City Clerk is located at 40 South Broadway Room 102, Yonkers, NY 10701. By appointment only.
