County May Turn to Telecommuting

More Ventura County government employees may be working from their homes in the future to help the county comply with federal air pollution laws.

County supervisors said Tuesday that they want telecommuting to play a bigger role in the county’s efforts to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

Department managers said that only a handful of employees now work out of their homes, in part because of the difficulty and expense of setting up work stations and equipment necessary to make it a success.

But board Chairwoman Maggie Kildee and her colleagues said that department managers need to work harder at making telecommuting a priority because of the demands being placed on the county by the federal government. The board directed its staff to explore the issue and report back with its findings later this year.

Two years ago, the county switched to a four-day workweek for most departments in order to comply with a federal requirement that calls for having an average of 1.35 employees in each car commuting to the Government Center in Ventura. Federal law mandates that the county increase that average to 1.5 passengers by 1997.

The county must submit a plan stating how it will reach that goal. Failure to achieve that standard could lead to fines.

Meanwhile, other options being considered by the county include providing bonus vacation days, cash incentives or prizes to employees who car-pool.