MALONE -- The Town Council will pay for passport cards for two employees who frequently travel to Canada to buy machine parts.

The cards, which are expected to be the size of a driver's license and come in their own slip-on sleeve, cost $20 each, plus a $25 processing fee.

It takes between four and six weeks to process and obtain a card.

Town Highway Superintendent Alvin Livernois made the request because security checks at the international border are already cumbersome and having the workers produce documents and explain the reason for the trips delays them even more.

The workers travel about 40 miles to Valleyfield, Quebec, to buy parts for Highway Department vehicles and equipment.

The number of trips depends on how fast the parts are needed in order to make repairs, Livernois said.

In the past, he instructed workers to tell the Canadian border agents who they are, how long they intend to be in Canada and what they are going to do while they are there.

But it may not be as smooth answering questions from U.S. authorities on the return trip.

Sending people over the border from U.S. soil is usually not a problem, "but without a passport, they can't get back," Livernois said.

At first, because the same employee is usually sent to get the needed parts, the board was going to pay for only one passport card.

But, after kicking it around and considering the usual driver could go on vacation or come down sick, the board decided a second passport card will be obtained.

The Franklin County Clerk's Office issues traditional passports that cover land, sea and air travel and a new passport card that limits a person's travel to land and sea.

County Clerk Wanda Murtagh said she has not had any other municipalities seeking passport cards for their employees.

draymo@pressrepublican.com