Alliance Mayor Earl Jones made it clear he is not a fan of the city’s summer hours, leading a discussion on the topic at a recent city council meeting and asking city staff to submit proposals for changes to the schedule in a way that will not impact services.
Jones kicked off the discussion at the council’s May 7 meeting by reading a statement about summer hours. He said that overall, he is not opposed to implementing summer hours, as long as they do not take away from the services that are offered to the citizens of Alliance.
“First of all, I think summer hours should run from Memorial Day to Labor Day,” said Jones. “Second, we should not reduce city services to the taxpayers of Alliance. City offices should continue to be open on Fridays, part of our staff should be willing to take coming in late Monday instead. I already have people expressing concerns about the lack of staffing at the Municipal Building on Fridays and other days. We need to, I think, do a better job of coordinating staff hours. Third, I am particularly adamant that utilities and library continue to be open. People who are struggling to make ends meet typically don’t manage their money very well, and they need to be able to pay their bills when they have the funds. They use cash, and, therefore that means they have to pay in person. The utilities office should remain open to accept those payments.”
Jones said that in researching area library hours, he found that only three libraries within 100 miles are closed on Saturdays: Crawford, Morrill and Rushville.
“Citizens of Alliance have invested millions of dollars in our library, including a million dollars last year upgrading heating and cooling,” Jones said. “We had to revisit fireworks last year to make sure families had an opportunity to buy fireworks on the weekend. Surely reading as a family is just as important.”
Jones pointed to the success at Skyview Golf Course in getting more people interested in golfing there and at the swimming pool in getting applicants, noting that differences can be made.
“I’m just saying, sometimes a little bit of work and desire makes a difference,” said Jones.
Council Members Jay Weisgerber and Brian Mischnick echoed Jones’ statements, noting that it is important to give citizens access to city offices and to the library. Council Member Tearza Mashburn asked City Clerk Shelbi Pitt about the average number of people who visit city offices on Fridays. Pitt responded that on Fridays they see few people, with the most traffic coming in the morning for building permits. Mashburn also asked about the utilities office and how payments and shutoffs are handled on Fridays. City Treasurer Cindy Baker said that any payment that comes in after closing at noon on Friday is collected on Monday and treated as a Friday payment.
Vice Mayor John McGhehey noted that the policy of not having shutoffs on Fridays could be continued whether staff is present at the office or not. Baker said they typically do not have shutoffs on Fridays, it just depends on the due date of the cycle.
“If we were open on Friday, we would disconnect at noon, and then that would give them the afternoon to come back in before the end of the day to pay without having to go through the emergency route,” said Baker.
McGhehey reiterated that a policy could be put in place to not conduct shutoffs on Fridays, and Baker confirmed that they could do that. Jones asked whether other council members believed a policy should be implemented regarding the summer hours. Mashburn said she was okay with closing the library on Saturdays, trusting Library Director Stephanie O’Connor’s judgment.
“I’m going to tell you that if we’re going to have the library not open that many extra hours, that’s two people, and that’s eight hours, that’s 16 hours, that’s one part time person,” said Jones. “I’m going to go after that person at budget time, because I’m not willing to pay the same labor cost to not provide a service. If we’re going to cut services, there needs to be a labor savings cost somewhere, for me. I’m just saying I feel very strongly about that.”
Mischnick said he would like to see a policy, noting that he would like to see the library open. Alliance Citizen Tim Smith noted that customer service is not the only duty to be found in these positions.
“These people in the utilities office, as an example, they have other duties to perform, other than waiting on customers,” said Smith. “Is that correct?”
“I assume so,” Jones responded.
“I assume so, too; same way with the library, same way with the electrical department, same way with city manager,” said Smith. “I mean, he’s not entertaining guests eight hours a day, I’m sure. They have other duties to perform other than just customer service, so those duties as well, you’re cutting back on the amount of time spent, and in my mind, if I have a quiet afternoon where I don’t have a lot of people in there bothering me, I’m going to get a lot more work done. That’s just my two cents worth.”
Weisgerber said that although he does not use the library, he believes it should remain open for the public to use. Jones asked City Attorney Jacob Swanson whether it was all right to direct staff to develop a policy proposal to present to the council, and Swanson said it was.
Mashburn asked whether this policy would be made for this year or next year, and Jones indicated this year. Mashburn said it would be difficult to enact as the summer hours have already been published. The city entered their summer hours on May 6.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” said Jones. “I think this is the right thing.”
Jones noted that in the past the library was open for one night a week, and that has gone away. Mashburn responded that, resources may be better spent on extra activities and programs if there are not many people visiting the library.
Swanson said he would have to research it, but that the city council could discuss the options for hours, but the decision ultimately lies with the city manager.
“You’d have to show me that,” Jones said. “I don’t believe that the city council can’t have a policy that sets hours of operations for programs for the city. You’re going to have to show me that, because I don’t accept that the city council doesn’t have the power to set hours of service for city operations.”
Swanson said he would review the manual more closely. Jones suggested that city staff bring back a policy for the council to review at their meeting on May 21.