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Lake County approves temporary reduced front-counter hours for Special Districts, to be reviewed in October
Summary
The Lake County Board of Supervisors approved a temporary change to the Special Districts Department front-counter hours—closing for lunch and moving the afternoon close to 4:30 PM—citing staff shortages; the board set a review at the end of October and approved the change 3–1.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted 3–1 to let the Special Districts Department temporarily shorten front-counter hours so staff can manage cash drawers and cover duties while the office is understaffed.
Robin, the Special Districts administrator, told the board the office is down to one front-counter employee after a utility billing specialist went on extended medical leave and another person moved to a different department. “We are down to one tech, one counter person,” Robin said, adding the office will continue to answer phones and provide regular services while the counter is closed for the short windows.
The change approved by the board allows the counter to close from 12:30–1:30 PM for lunch and from 4:30–5:00 PM to permit cash-out and end-of-day reconciliation. Supervisor Owen moved the motion to approve the modified hours and included the 4:30 PM close in response to staff input about peak traffic; the motion was modified to include an explicit review date at the end of October.
Supervisor Sabatier voiced concern about precedent and public access, saying multiple departments have requested similar accommodations and warning that repeated reductions could erode service availability. “We’re a customer service agency… being as available as possible, in my opinion, should be our goal,” Sabatier said, but added she was comfortable with the lunch closure while questioning the afternoon hour reduction.
Jesse, who oversees the front counter, told the board that the office often sees a customer surge between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM (particularly around utility shutoff activity), which informed the board’s decision to set the afternoon closure at 4:30 PM rather than 4:00 PM. County counsel advised the board to set a time limit on the temporary change; the board agreed and scheduled a review at the end of October to determine whether to return to normal hours.
The action was recorded as a motion to approve the temporary hours with a review deadline; the board approved it by a 3–1 vote. Earlier in the meeting the CAO had asked the board to continue consideration of the county and Lake O'Shan capital improvement plans until next week, and the board consented to that continuance.
