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Committee debates whether town hall should reopen Fridays as staff, costs and coverage are weighed
Summary
Committee members and staff discussed whether to expand town-hall hours from a four-day schedule to five days, weighing citizen demand for Friday services, increased electrical and personnel costs, and staffing models such as rotating physical coverage on Fridays; no vote on hours was recorded in the provided segments.
Committee discussion shifted to whether town hall should operate five days a week and what staffing model would be required.
Staff provided background that the council had voted in July 2020 to change staff hours to a four-day week (Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.) and that the schedule was implemented in August 2023. Staff said they had surveyed 12 nearby municipalities to benchmark hours and noted that definitions of full time ranged from 32 hours to 40 hours across jurisdictions.
Members debated whether residents were requesting Friday hours; staff said they had not heard widespread demand but that businesses such as McClellan Builders had a legitimate reason for Friday access to obtain building permits. A council member suggested maintaining at least one physical presence at town hall on Fridays, and another suggested alternating which staff member is on duty so there is always coverage without requiring everyone to work a fifth day.
Staff warned that moving to a five-day schedule could increase personnel costs (the transcript cites added hours and potential pay increases for staff) and utility costs for the building, and that the current budget appears based on the 36-hour (four-day) model. Several members said two people should be physically present when the building is open for safety and service reasons.
The committee did not adopt a final hours policy in the provided transcript; staff said the handbook and operating-hours items would be revisited at a regular meeting where the resolution-based handbook adoption can be amended if necessary.
