City offices will be closed to the public on Fridays that are
not furlough days possibly as soon as April 23, following a 4-3
vote by the City Council on Monday.
City offices could be closed to the public on Fridays that are not furlough days as soon as April 23, following a 4-3 vote by the City Council on Monday.
The council approved the idea without discussion during the meeting, although council members talked about the issue March 13 during its goal-setting session. Council members Craig Gartman, Perry Woodward and Bob Dillon dissented.
Human Resources Director LeeAnn McPhillips has labeled the non-furlough closures as “Power Fridays” and has expressed hopes that city staff members will be able to boost their productivity on those days.
“I think there’s a balance there,” McPhillips said Tuesday. “There are customers that we’re trying to serve that aren’t the ones who are at City Hall.”
Closures at City Hall tentatively are set to begin April 23, McPhillips said. In the meantime, city officials need to notify staff members as well as the public about the closures, she said.
A staff report that McPhillips presented Monday provided a long list of tasks that will be targeted for the Power Fridays. Those included program and special event planning, completing monthly budget reports, completing grant applications, fulfilling public information requests and working on special projects such as high-speed rail.
“While closing offices on the 2nd and 4th Fridays can be perceived as a reduced level of service, better results can be achieved for those customers relying on staff to complete work items such as contracts, staff reports, development agreements, correspondence, agenda packets, etc.,” McPhillips’ report said.
Staff members will continue to conduct building and public works inspections on those days, and public works will not be affected, McPhillips said. In addition, staff members can schedule meetings with members of the public on those days, she said.
The police department will treat the closures the same way that they treat furlough Fridays, Gilroy Police Chief Denise Turner said.
A sign on the front door of the police station will notify the public that they can press a button, and records staff will make them.
“We do have a lot of staff work that we’ll be able to get done on that Friday,” Turner said. “This will really make it much better.”
However, not everyone is convinced of the closures’ merits.
Councilman Gartman said the closures constitute a decline in customer service.
“Personally, I think if people are there, they should make themselves available,” Gartman said.
He particularly expressed concern about residents who do not frequent City Hall, such as people who wish to pay a utility bill or sign up children for recreation programs.
“Let’s not look at it from the developer standpoint,” he said. “Let’s look at it from the taxpayer standpoint.”
Councilman Bob Dillon agreed, saying it is better for City Hall only to be closed one out of every 10 days than one out of five.
“It’s a customer service issue for me,” he said.
Gartman said he is puzzled that city staff members say they are swamped with work when virtually no development is occurring in town.
On the other hand, some administrators now must answer routine questions from the public that ordinarily would be handled by other employees as a result of staff shortages, Councilman Dion Bracco said.
Bracco, who supported the additional closures every other Friday, believes the new policy will help prevent residents from being confused.
“(Members of the public) can’t normally remember which day they’re working and which day they’re not,” Bracco said. “If they’re closed every Friday, then it’s simple.”
In addition, Mayor Al Pinheiro believes increased productivity resulting from the policy change will mean the city will not need to hire additional staff to accomplish those tasks.
Pinheiro, who presented the idea of the city office closures during the council’s goal-setting session, said he has yet to hear any feedback about the issue other than from fellow council members.
“If it doesn’t work, we can always adjust,” Pinheiro said.
