Change in City Hall hours to take effect soon

Laguna Beach City Hall will close every other Friday beginning April 1 and stay open an extra hour Mondays through Thursdays beginning the week of March 28.

The hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. On alternate Fridays beginning April 8, the city offices will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Public safety services, such as police and fire, will not be affected by the changes.

City staff considered different options, such as keeping City Hall open on Fridays with half the normal staffing. The City Council authorized the new schedule.

“The schedule change will provide opportunities for the public to conduct business at City Hall before or after work, bring Laguna Beach into parity with most other cities in Orange County, and will have a positive impact on the environment by reducing one day of commuting every 10 days,” City Manager John Pietig wrote in a letter to the editor.

Thirty of 34 Orange County cities currently have similar schedules, allowing employees to take off every other Friday, Pietig wrote. City employees will still work 80 hours every two weeks.

“When employees consider their employment options in the marketplace, the ability to have consolidated days off is highly valued,” he said.

City officials will evaluate the new schedule in six months.

For more information, visit lagunabeachcity.net.