Commentary: Change in City Hall hours explained

People have raised concerns about schedule changes at City Hall. For the benefit of those not familiar with the reasons for the changes, I would like to explain.

In late March or early April, City Hall will expand its operating hours on Mondays through Thursdays to 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This is a change from the current hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On alternate Fridays, City Hall will be open either from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on the other Fridays.

City Hall employees will continue to work 80 hours during every two-week period. It is important to note that public safety services are not affected by the changes.

One of the benefits from the new schedule is expanded City Hall hours for public access on Mondays through Thursdays. Another primary reason for the change has to do with prevailing marketplace conditions for City Hall employees throughout Orange County. Thirty of 34 cities in the county currently have expanded operating hours and provide similar schedules that allow employees to take off every other Friday while still working 80 hours every two weeks.

When employees consider their employment options in the marketplace, the ability to have consolidated days off is highly valued. Laguna Beach is also faced with commuting challenges and high costs of living that cause alternate schedules to be even more important to current and prospective employees.

In short, 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 have a positive impact on the environment by reducing one day of commuting every 10 days.

Consideration was also given to an option of expanding City Hall hours on Mondays through Thursdays but keeping City Hall open every Friday with one-half of the normal staffing. Laguna Beach is a relatively small city, and operating with one-half of the staff would likely result in long lines and an insufficient number of employees being available to provide the full range of services at City Hall on Fridays.

Instead, it was decided to try expanding City Hall hours Mondays through Thursdays and closing every other Friday to ensure that adequate personnel are available when City Hall is open. Sixteen of the 30 cities with alternate schedules have adopted this approach. The effectiveness of this new schedule will be evaluated after it has been in place for six months.

The city appreciates everyone’s patience as we try to find the best balance between City Hall hours of operation, the efficient and effective provision of public services, and changing work conditions in the marketplace.

Pietig is the Laguna Beach city manager. He lives in Laguna.