TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and possibly take action on a pilot program changing the hours of City Hall service. Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
Customers who need to visit City Hall often work full-time jobs themselves, and commute to work, making it difficult to reach City Hall during the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours.
There are a number of different work schedules being used by staff working for the City of Maricopa. Most public safety functions are provided 24-hours a day, every day of the year, and adjust the work schedules of staff to make this possible in an efficient manner. This means that most do not work the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., five-day-a-week schedule.
Work functions other than those of public safety have adopted a variety of different schedules over the past years. Some work the traditional 8-hour day, five days a week. Other offices work four 10-hour days, or complete their 80-hours in nine days rather than ten. The result is a hodge-podge of varying schedules, raising questions about fairness, and some confusion when trying to plan meetings.
Customers who need to visit City Hall often work full-time jobs themselves, and commute to work, making it difficult to reach City Hall during the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours. Over the past few years, many cities have recognized this and changed their office hours to provide two additional hours of customer service each day, opening for customers at 7 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m. In order to keep this extension of customer service hours revenue neutral in their salary budget, these cities close the entire day on Friday.
In Arizona, the cities that now operate their city halls on a 4-10 schedule are Avondale, Buckeye, Cave Creek, Chino Valley, Clarkdale, Eager, Eloy, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Mesa, Peoria, Pinetop-Lakeside, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, Surprise, Wickenburg, and Yuma. Numerous other cities around the country also operate on a 4-10 schedule.
Analysis of this issue in the City of Maricopa began several months ago and included reading the staff reports from other cities, learning about possible benefits and challenges of such schedules, and surveys of both City Hall customers and City employees. It was determined that because 60% of City staff work in public safety or in functions that must provide service on Friday, the proposed pilot program would affect only 25% of City employees.
The City conducted a public and employee survey about City Hall usage and modified hours of operation. The public survey indicated that Friday is the least-frequent day City Hall is visited. Most survey respondants indicated that if City Hall hours were extended, they would prefer City Hall to be open until 6 p.m.
Of the non-public safety City employees surveyed, 73% supported a 4-10 pilot program and an additional 10% were neutral.
Possible benefits of the pilot program include City savings through reduced electrical, water, air conditioning and custodial costs at City Hall, particularly in the new City Hall. In addition, cost savings in fuel use by commuters, is to be expected, as is reduced driving which would promote City's clean air and trip reduction goals. It is estimated that approximately 50 cars will be taken off the street on Friday due to no commuting to work at City Hall.
Other benefits include a possible reductions in sick leave and absenteeism, because employees will be able to choose to schedule doctor's and dental appointments on Fridays. A 4-10 schedule also increases work-life balance for employees, and provides a recruitment advantage for the City over other regional employers who do not offer alternative work schedules.
During the trial period, internal and external communication will be conducted and employee impact will be evaluated.
Staff recommends that the City of Maricopa adopt a pilot program to implement a 4-10 work schedule for City Hall offices, extending citizen service an additional hour each morning and afternoon, and closing City Hall on Fridays. The trial period for the pilot program would be July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013, with an evaluation at mid-year. Customer feedback/opinion opportunities, and evaluation of employee satisfaction will occur during the trial.
• Staff believes the proposal will assist in the following areas:
- Extended hours for customer service enhancement
- Possible budgetary savings
- Environmental advantages
- Improvement of employee morale/satisfaction
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends implementing a one-year pilot program changing the hours of City Hall services to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and closing City Hall on Friday, starting July 1, 2012.