El Mirage council rejects changing city office hours to 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; proposal fails 5-2

The El Mirage Common Council voted down a motion on May 20, 2025, to change municipal office hours to Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The motion, moved by Councilmember Nora McDaniel and seconded by Councilmember Gentry, failed by a 5-2 vote.

Proponents said returning to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. would align the city with other municipal and state offices and improve access for residents who work standard daytime schedules. "We have a population of people who work outside the city — Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe — and need to make their hours and operation accessible for residents," Councilmember Nora McDaniel said during the discussion. Supporters also suggested extending customer-service hours to 6 p.m. on some days.

Opponents, including Councilmember Dorsey and Vice Mayor Parsons, said the city manager—s recommended schedule — Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — avoided overtime costs and preserved access for people who used earlier or later windows under the previous schedule. Dorsey said moving to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. "gives absolutely no service to the people in this community who work hours..." and noted the 4:30 p.m. end time had been communicated to the public. Councilmember Aldridge raised the cost of reversing printed outreach, saying the city had spent about $5,223 on mailers promoting the change.

The roll call recorded the following votes: Vice Mayor Parsons: no; Councilmember Dorsey: no; Councilmember Aldridge: no; Councilmember Gentry: yes; Councilmember Norton McDaniel: yes; Councilmember Winston: no; Mayor Mercio: no. The motion failed, so the previously announced Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. schedule recommended in the city manager—s February 25, 2025 memorandum will remain in effect until any future council action.