Board amends Highway Department public hours to align staff coverage

The Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance amendment to align Highway Department public hours with the department's operational schedule.

The ordinance amends county code section 2.090.01(b) to set the department's public-service window to a MondayThursday schedule with public availability from 06:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The change is intended to align administrative staff availability with other Highway operations and reduce instances when members of the public encounter staff who are not present to resolve an issue.

Supervisor Chilson, who explained the committee recommendation, said staff surveyed public contact times and concluded the proposed window would improve service. Highway management and staff told the board the change is supported internally; two of the administrative staff affected are hourly and the rest salaried, and the department expects flexible schedules rather than a uniform 10-hour day for every employee. Officials said the change is a service-level adjustment with minimal fiscal effect and possible small overtime savings.

Motion to adopt the ordinance amendment was made, seconded, and passed on a 27-0 vote.