LAMPASAS COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Passport services in Lampasas County may come to an end this fall due to staffing cuts.
Since 2019, the district clerk’s office has offered local passport processing, providing added convenience for residents while bringing extra revenue into the community.
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“Lampasas is a growing community. We're not declining, we're increasing. We need more services, not less,” said Chuma Jerome, a Lampasas resident.
Jerome and her family have used the local service in the past. She said the ability to handle passport renewals locally has been a vital resource for working families.
“We're a community of working people. We don't – a lot of us don't have the luxury of taking a half-a-day off from work to go renew our passport or get our passport,” Jerome said.
The potential cut has left some residents surprised.
“It was a real shock to hear that that might be on the list of things to cut,” she said.
Jerome emphasized not just the convenience, but the economic impact the service provides.
“We can talk about the convenience of it. We can talk about the great experience that you have in her office. But I mean, there's always the bottom line, right? Money. There's an economic benefit. I mean, people traveling in from our communities around Lampasas, Lampasas itself… You know, there is a fee to get your passport renewed or a new passport,” she said.
Still, she said the service means more than just saving time or money.
“We're raising families. We have a lot of extended family in this community, and when we want to travel to be together. We need the ease of just taking a lunch hour or popping off to work for 1 hour or 30 minutes to go get that done right there locally,” Jerome said.
The change would take effect Oct. 1. Residents are encouraged to contact the district clerk’s office to share their thoughts.
