Manteca is switching to a four-day work week with 10-hour days for much of the workforce.
City Manager Miranda Lutzow said the pilot program will start Monday, June 22.
It will allow the city to extend office hours for citizens — many who commute to jobs out of town — from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Employees will actually work until 6:30 p.m. That will allow those in departments such as finance that deal extensively with the public to count money and hande other tasks that need to be completed prior to going home.
The city has been on an alternating schedule of every other Friday having city hall offices closed for 11 years. The schedule was put in place during the Great Recession when employee hours were reduced to help cover a budget deficit.
Lutzow said besides expanding access to the public four days a week, the city will see cost savings. In offices that are manned five days a week it will reduce some heating and cooling costs. Also, other cities that have switched to 4 day, 10-hour schedules have experienced a drop in sick days.
The schedule is similar to what the City of Lathrop has employed for years.
Some departments already work 4-day, 10-hour schedules such as Manteca Police.
Lutzow emphasized public services won’t be impacted such as water, sewer, and solid waste collection as well as when water or sewer issues occur. Parks and Recreation programs including the Manteca Senior Center will not be impacted.
Lutzow also noted it will give department heads an additional day to address work if needed by being able to work on Fridays with minimal interference with family time.
The city manager said it was an “ideal time” to make the shift given city offices are tentatively scheduled to open to the public in June 22.
Manteca in early 2009 switched to a Monday through Thursday schedule with city hall hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. City hall was then open every other Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
When the move was made by Steve Pinkerton — Manteca’s city manager at the time — it allowed the city to impose a 3.85 percent pay cut needed to balance the city budget. He also noted it saved on energy costs as well as helped reduce the carbon footprint of nearly 400 municipal workers as they wouldn’t be driving to and from work every other Friday.
It was also pointed out in 2009 after examining public interaction with the city, that Friday was by far the lightest day of the week for citizens to visit city offices or to contact departments by phone.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
