Arizona Clarifies County Office Hours

In an effort to promote governmental cost savings, the Arizona Legislature recently enacted a statute, effective immediately, that deletes the requirement that county offices (other than the sheriff) open for business from 9 to 5 on weekdays and 9 to 1 on Saturdays. The new statute requires that the offices be open 40 hours each week (32 hours in a holiday week, except for Thanksgiving week when they can be open 24 hours if they give up their Columbus Day closure). These hours can be spread over less than 5 days, allowing counties to implement the 4-day work week, with each day being a 10-hour day. Navajo County has been the first county to act on this initiative, with its Recorder, Treasurer, and Assessor going to a 4-day work week (7 AM - 6 PM, Monday - Thursday) effective August 3rd on a trial basis which will run through Feb. 28, 2010, after which officials will evaluate it to see if it will continue on a permanent basis.

Reported in the White Mountain Independent’s Online News, "We have economic challenges we have to overcome," said Cris Parisot of the Finance Department. "Adopting this schedule will benefit the citizens, the county government and county employees. We have had positive feedback for the proposal. The change will benefit residents who will be able to come to county offices either before or after work. It will create a county government that operates efficiently with increased productivity and sets an example for energy conservation." The county will see an estimated annual cost savings of $87,159, which supports the newly adopted Navajo County Energy Management and Conservation Strategy, she said. It will also increase employee retention, is a good employee recruiting tool and allows for flexibility for each department based on service specific requirements. "Researchers from the Romney Institute of Public Management at Brigham Young University examined the effect of implementing a compressed workweek for employees in city government, studying more than 150 cities, including Avondale, in 38 states," Parisot said. "Their research showed that employees working the 4-10 workweek reported lower levels of work-family conflict than their counterparts working a traditional schedule and that productivity and ability to serve citizens was increased rather than diminished." Employees will benefit by being able to schedule medical appointments on Friday to minimize time off during the week. They will save on vehicle expenses and child care and will be able to have more family and personal time.”

Trustee’s will need to keep in mind the limitation on recording abilities now and adjust their sale date for the extra days needed by your title company. Stay tuned for similar closures by other counties!

Written by Jane Myrick, Security Title Agency