Port Richey council discusses staff pay, succession and a 4-day workweek option

At the Port Richey town hall on Sept. 2 council members and staff discussed staff retention, compensation and operational changes including a possible four-day, 40-hour schedule.

Council members praised several employees for performance during the recent hurricane and for day-to-day operations. One council speaker proposed a raise for a public works employee, saying, "Daryl really showed up and performed during the hurricane," and argued the city should consider higher pay or scheduling flexibility to retain key staff. Council members identified priorities that included hiring a full-time building official, improving succession planning for long-serving staff, and exploring merit-based pay elements.

Staff described options under consideration: a pilot alternative work schedule (four 10-hour days) for some departments, merit-based pay adjustments, and non-monetary incentives. Staff noted not all positions could adopt alternative schedules (for example, public safety and 24/7 operations may require different shift structures); the conversation included the idea of offering alternative perks to employees who cannot join a compressed schedule.

No personnel actions were taken at the town hall. Council directed staff to continue evaluating compensation strategies, consider targeted recruitment/retention measures (including exploring a full-time building official), and bring proposals back to council for formal consideration.