PORT ANGELES — Early birds will likely have an extra 30 minutes to do business at the Clallam County Courthouse in the mornings.
County commissioners today are expected to approve a change in service hours for the courthouse at 223 E. Fourth St.
With approval, the facility will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning Monday. The current hours of operation are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Commissioners last week voted to restore a 40-hour workweek for nearly 200 union employees who were previously on a 37.5-hour schedule.
Eighty-one of 101 employees who responded to County Administrator Jim Jones’ query said they would prefer an 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. schedule rather than the 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. option that was also being considered.
“I’m willing to go with that [early option] on the theory that the public who has business to do at the courthouse might want to come early before they have to show up to work themselves, accomplish whatever they need accomplished, and then head off for their day,” Commissioner Jim McEntire said.
“But I’ll reserve judgement on that. We may want to just give this a try for a little while and see if we need to adjust later on.”
Commissioners Mike Chapman and Bill Peach did not object to the 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. schedule.
The courthouse was open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. prior to concession agreements that employees made in 2011.
Restoration of the old service hours is part of a multi-pronged board plan to spend down excess reserves in ways that help the economy and greater community.
Commissioners have recently approved a 0.2-percent sales tax holiday, signed a $150,000 contract with the Clallam County Economic Development Council and will consider today a $300,000 appropriation for cash-strapped shelter providers.
The idea of the 40-hour work week is to help spur the economy and provide a better service to the public, commissioners have said.
Jones recently reviewed the hours of operation at other courthouses around the state.
“I was quite surprised to learn that several counties are like open from 7 in the morning until 7 o’clock at night,” Jones said.
“You talk about convenience for the customer. However, their staffing allows for a significant amount of backup, which we’ve never been able to do.”
No counties the size of Clallam or smaller are open for extended hours, he said.
“Quite a few are less,” Jones said.
“A number of courthouses close at 3, that kind of stuff. So it’s just kind of all across the board.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
