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Q.C. considers 4-day week for town workers
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It's Friday in Queen Creek - do you know where your town officials are? If a proposal to shorten the workweek to four days is put in place, Queen Creek town offices may go dark on Fridays.
Queen Creek councilwoman backs council pay cuts
The proposal recommended by Town Manager John Kross is an effort to boost morale, improve working conditions and save money.
Closing Fridays would mean the town would offer extended hours Monday through Thursday, such as 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Kross said.
He said a reduced workweek would also help the town save money during tough financial times by lowering energy and gasoline bills.
"Because of where we're located, folks may actually want to do business before they go to work or on their way home," Kross said.
The Town Council would need to discuss the recommendation and a trial period could be instituted. Kross said surveys and evaluations would be made during the trial period to determine if residents' needs were being met.
"The customer is priority number one," he said.
During a budget committee Wednesday, Councilwoman Lisa Coletto-Cohen and Councilman-elect Jeff Brown expressed concerns about the proposal, both saying they needed more information.
Mayor Art Sanders said he supports the reduced workweek.
"You don't have all the electricity running that whole day," he said. "The morale goes up because they have a three-day weekend. For our employee, it gives them a day to do errands when everything is open."
Human resources manager Bruce Gardner said there are communities in Nevada and California that offer similar workweeks.
Kross said those cities with four-day workweeks actually attract employees.
"It's been real successful, and some cities have become employers of choice," he said.
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