Committee approves July 4 nd ugust summer-hours pilot for City Hall, 3-1 vote

A Wausau city committee approved a summer-hours pilot for City Hall, voting 3-1 to test option 1 from July 4 through Labor Day: 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Fridays. The committee will forward the pilot to the full city council.

Caitlin, a city staff member leading the proposal, said the pilot builds on a 2024 test and aims to improve employee work-life balance while maintaining customer service. "A lot of staff take off or request to take off on [Fridays], especially," Caitlin said. "If we shift our hours, then we can provide better customer service, while still allowing those employees to take off those 3, 3 and a half, depending which option you would go with, on [Fridays]." She described outreach methods to collect public feedback, including drop boxes, paper surveys, QR codes placed in community locations, social-media polls and a utility-bill insert.

Committee members raised concerns about resident access and timing. Gary asked how the city would notify residents, noting the narrow window between approval and Memorial Day: "Once city hall is closed on Friday afternoons, it's hard to get that person coming up the steps at 03:30 on a Friday afternoon to know that the city hall is closed." Several members urged targeted outreach to non-English-speaking populations; Caitlin said she would pursue school and PTO contacts and other community partners to reach Hmong- and Spanish-speaking residents.

Others questioned whether shifting opening times to 7:15 a.m. would reduce access for residents who work standard 8 a.m.-5 p.m. schedules. One committee member said: "If I had an 8 to 5 job ... I would be at 07:00 getting ready to go to work, and I'd be working until 05:00. ... I just don't feel like it serves our residents well." The committee discussed shortening the pilot window as an alternative; members proposed running the pilot from July 4 to Labor Day to provide additional lead time for outreach. That amendment was attached to the motion.

The police department representative said the department would allow the pilot and track impacts to front-counter services, and requested data showing whether earlier opening times created new opportunities for residents (for example, to drop off prescriptions) or disenfranchised others.

Mister Mickle moved to adopt option 1; another member seconded with the amendment to start July 4 through Labor Day. The chair called for the vote: "All in favor say aye." The motion passed by a 3-1 vote and will be placed on the city council agenda.

If the pilot proceeds, staff said they will collect pre- and post-pilot data and use multiple outreach methods, including translated materials when feasible, to measure resident experience and operational impacts. One committee member cautioned that any permanent change to municipal court hours would require an ordinance change.