Committee to pursue municipal code change that would set City Hall public hours to 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Monday–Thursday

The committee agreed to advance a staff request to amend the municipal code so City Hall’s public-facing counter hours align with current practice and to add Mondays, with a staff-proposed schedule of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The change is intended to reconcile an apparent mismatch between the municipal code and the hours that have been used since the COVID-19 pandemic. Chair said the website currently states "Tuesday through Thursday, 10AM to 2PM," and staff told the committee that the municipal code lists daytime hours that differ from that practice. "It doesn't match and it bothers me," a staff speaker said during the discussion.

The committee’s action was procedural: members asked staff to draft the ordinance or code amendment and return with a recommendation rather than voting on a final ordinance at the meeting. Chair said the item will be "taken forward" and noted it would be processed as nonconsent to allow fuller council consideration.

Council members and staff debated operational impacts and public access. Staff explained that many transactions can be completed online and that the city maintains a Dropbox for payments; the front counter is also reachable by a bell and staff will respond when someone arrives. A staff member said, "We have the Dropbox outside that a lot of people use," and added that staff try not to keep cash on site and aim to do daily deposits as a security practice.

Members raised concerns about residents who work typical business hours and might need evening access. Council member Carrie said she was "comfortable with this for now" but requested a follow-up report in a few months to check whether the changed hours are meeting community needs. Staff cautioned that extending counter hours through 5 p.m. could affect finance workflows: accepting payments later in the day can require staff to remain after hours to close out and make deposits.

Committee members and staff discussed practical accommodations short of full evening hours: setting appointments outside posted hours, advertising a clear contact email or phone number for after-hours requests, and continuing to answer the front door when visitors arrive. One member suggested publishing who to contact to set appointments so residents who cannot attend during posted hours can arrange another time.

The committee did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting. Instead it directed staff to draft language to amend the municipal code to reflect the proposed public-facing hours (staff identified the proposed hours as 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Monday–Thursday), to update public information (website and front-door notices) with contact/appointment instructions, and to return to the council in a few months with a report on how the change is working.

For context, committee members also reviewed the draft council agenda for the upcoming City Council meeting and moved a separate item – the termination of the Snoqualmie Ridge Water System developer extension agreement – to the consent calendar. That consent motion and other routine approvals (minutes, claims) were handled during the same meeting.