RSSYakima County studies four-day work week
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- Closing most administrative offices at the Yakima County Courthouse one day each week is on the table as county commissioners try to close a budget gap that keeps widening in a down economy.
The idea is to have the county planning, auditor and other offices open nine hours each day, four days a week, instead of eight hours each day, five days a week. The switch would amount to a 10 percent cut in hours for some county staff.
Some county departments like the Sheriff's Office, the Department of Corrections and the courts would not be affected. And the county would have to get approval from unions representing county employees in affected departments about a change or reduction in hours.
Nonunion employees, including department heads and managers, also would see their hours reduced.
Yakima County, with 1,000 people on its payroll, isn't alone. Cutting hours is under review in a number of counties around the state.
Commissioner Kevin Bouchey said the idea is being seriously considered as a way to reduce the layoffs that are all but a certainty with a $3 million shortfall in the 2010 budget.
With a $53-million general fund budget, the county is getting hit by falling sales tax revenues, property tax revenues and investment interest earnings, which together are expected to decline by $1 million below what they were in 2008. Meanwhile, wages and health insurance premiums are going up.
Though commissioners used $1 million in reserves to balance this year's budget, they do not expect to use any reserves in 2010.
Commissioner Mike Leita said commissioners are trying to find actual savings in county services and programs.
"We aren't making decisions based on symbolism. We have to have meaningful benefit to county operations as it relates to county customers, the courts, licensing and the different administrative functions," he said.
Leita conceded a one-day closure every week may not be possible for some departments, like the road crews.
A telephone message left with the local office of the Washington State Council of County and City Employees was not returned Monday.
Harold Delia, administrative consultant to Superior and District courts, said the courts must remain open daily. State law requires the courts to be open five days a week. But Delia said it may be possible to have half the court staff work every Friday or Monday to help the county save money.
Treasurer Ilene Thomson, whose office effectively operates as the county's bank, said she could lose more than two positions if work hours are not reduced.
Michelle Nelson, spokeswoman for the Washington State Association of Counties, said the association hasn't done a survey to determine how many counties are looking at cutting hours to deal with budget shortfalls next year.
Snohomish County has laid off more than half its planning staff and no longer has a receptionist to assist residents coming in with building plans.
And the notion of closing government offices one day a week isn't a rarity anymore. The city of Sunnyside has shuttered its City Hall offices on Fridays for several years.
"I think staff furloughs and adjusting courthouse and program hours are two of the top ways counties are dealing with budget issues," Nelson said.
* David Lester can be reached at 509-577-7674 or dlester@yakimaherald.com.
Like the city, the county needs to re-examine the role of county government. The county should not try to be all things to all people. The county can save a big chunk by outsourcing some operations such as road and park maintenance. It was fun while the party lasted and the county coffers were full in part thanks to debt spending by consumers. Now it's time to get real.
I'm sure glad we have three experienced businessmen serving as commissioners (sarcasm alert).
WoW...just think those who are not hourly and are salary instead if they work a 4 day work week they will loose nothing while the hourly worker looses a days pay. Maybe the need to look into that a little more. Its a shame when the spending has spun so out of control that they are now considering such an action. Someone needs to wise up and I bet it wont be those "four businessman".
Report Violation4 9 hour days = 36 hours per week instead of 40. That is a 10% reduction as stated in the article. The loss is 4 hours, not a full day.
Report Violationhuh, huh! to make a 10% reduction and to close the offices 1 day a week an additional hour was added to the 4 days making 36 hours, I think! :)
Report Violationlobo, you've got a real serious disconnect. What do you want? You want the city and county to be all things to all investors??
As we all know, when we outsource government services, those services become FREE! As we also know, privatizing government services INVARIABLY leads to more accountability to the citizenry!! You should be on your knees thanking the heavens that we already have THREE experienced businessmen serving as commissioners! Just think how smooth the transition will be when businessmen run 100% of formerly public works and public services departments, and run them FOR PROFIT!! There is NOTHING more patriotic than letting SOME people get rich supplying minimum wage slaves to indifferently do that work you need, because YOU have been trained to despise the people who are willing to work for you directly!!
(sarcasm alert)
minimum wage is somewhere around $300-$400 a week, $15,600 - $20,800 a year? Not too bad. Maybe we wouldn't have minimum wage slaves if the minimum wage were a training wage and not a wage to raise a family on. By the way I was out of college some 5 years before I made that much money.
Report ViolationI thought that government workers already worked a reduced schedule...oh wait, that's reduced work on a full-time schedule. Maybe the county should study what each and every county employee actually does during their time on the clock and use that data to combine some jobs and cut the fat. We've all seen it before, how many county employees does it take to...dig a hole, change a lightbulb, raise your taxes, build a useless jail, etc., etc.
Report ViolationOk first of all, huh, are you kidding me? You could seriously "raise a family" on minimum wage? I sure hope you don't have kids.
Minimum wage is $8.55/hour. So, if you're working minimum wage and you actually find something that offers a 40 hour week (which have any of you noticed it is HARD to find a job right now??) you're making $342/week, ($1482/month) BEFORE taxes. So $17,784/year. You're telling me you can make a house payment, a car payment, pay for day care, food, clothing, gas, electricity, blah blah blah on less than $1500 a month??? I would LOVE to know where you live, where you bought your car and where you buy your groceries, because having ONE child I can promise you, we couldn't live on that.
Next, relating directly to the issue at hand, if the government offices were open M-Th from 7 am - 5 pm (which rumor has it, that is what the hours would be) a LOT more of you could go in during these times and get your business taken care of, as opposed to their current being open 9 am -4 pm hours. They would save money not only on heat and electricity (the building would be closed an extra day) but they would save MASSIVE amounts of money by cutting hours by 4 hours a week. And FYI, by cutting hours, that means cutting pay as well.
As far as the commissioners go, YOU HAVE ELECTED three VERY competent people to make these decisions for you, and personally I think they are doing a great job.
The point is since you are not willing to realize it, is that a minimum wage is not designed to be a career wage. We have made it so by raising it so very high that a business can not pay better than minimum wage. We can rent apartments, ride buses or bikes and eat real, not prepared foods and do well. My daughter did very well with her sub 20,000 income during her 4 years in Pullman. When you have learned the skills of your trade either by doing a job, going to a school or by using your God given talents wisely, you can demand a better wage.
But having it all is our right. We don't have to earn it.
Most negative comments come from lack of knowledge about the subject which is being commented on. Being a "County Employee" I had the same opinion/attitude until I found out just what it takes to run county government and how hard most people work within the county. (yes, I said most) Thank you TLG421 for pointing out the reasoning. The county would be open more hours to better serve our constituents while reducing staff hours and reducing expenses.
Please, before you assume, educate yourself.
As for county workers, many work very hard, and for little pay in regard to the type & amount of work. Its the fluff and "Make" work that is objectionable. A good example is the county jail. It's full of illegal aliens but once time is served they are released back on to the streets to reoffend instead of handing them over to ICE. Stupid waste of tax money.
Report ViolationCurrent openings: Road sign crew $16.67 per hour = $35,000 per year before overtime full benefits
Give me a brake! Outsource these jobs.
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