6. Staff Report-Office HoursSCANDIA
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: May 6, 2015
To: City Council
From: Kristina Handt, Administrator
Re: Office Hours
Background:
Currently the City Office Hours are M, W -F, 9am-4pm and T 9am-6pm. These hours were changed
in 2011 by the Council. Prior to that the hours were M -F 9am-noon and 1pm-4pm with the office
closed over the lunch hour.
Issue:
Should the City Office Hours be changed?
Proposal Details:
I'm asking the Council to consider changing the hours to M -F 9am-4pm and by appointment.
We have noticed very few people coming in during the later hours on Tuesdays. However, because
of later office hours and evening meetings we routinely only have one support staff person in the
front office (Deputy Clerk or Treasurer) on Tuesdays. This makes it difficult for those employees to
complete their other assigned duties since most of their time is spent answering the phone or
responding to calls.
Since there doesn't seem to be a noticeable impact on customer service by staying open late on
Tuesdays but there is an impact on work productivity, I'd like the Council to consider adjusting the
hours so we have more overlap in coverage.
In addition, although our hours have been posted that the office closes over the lunch hour, this very
rarely happens. In fact, we often find our lunch times interrupted in order to respond to citizens or
contractors. This hour period sees much more request for services from the public than staying open
late one night a week.
Lastly, we recognize that there will be some folks who simply can't make it in during the 9am-4pm
times. Therefore, staff would offer to arrange an appointment with them to be here later as needed.
This has been done on other days of the week than Tuesday already and has worked well. Either the
Deputy Clerk or myself have the flexibility to be here later and sometimes do because of evening
meetings. However, we don't want to be required to be here if there isn't a public need. With a small
staff, flexibility is key to meet the needs of residents as well as make the best use of our most
important resource (staff).
Fiscal Impact:
By adjusting the office hours to allow for more overlapping of employee schedules, the need to
increase hours of office staff at $20+/hour is reduced.
Options:
1. Direct staff to place new office hours, as proposed, on the consent agenda
2. Amend the office hours differently than proposed and direct staff to place on the consent
agenda
3. Do not change existing office hours.
Recommendation:
Option 1.