MOOSE JAW — After more than four years with reduced in-person hours, city hall will soon expand its public access times, making it easier for people to conduct business earlier in the morning.
During the May 26 regular city council meeting, though, Coun. Carla Delaurier introduced a motion requesting that city hall resume in-person public business hours from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, aside from statutory holidays, with this change happening by Wednesday, July 2.
Also, since the Commissionaires provide security, she wanted the funding to cover these extra costs to come from vacancies and procurement savings of $17,500.
However, she amended her motion so that city hall’s public business hours be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to give employees time to begin and finish their days, while the funding would come from the city manager’s contractual service budget.
“… after speaking with many, many people, I do believe this is what the citizens have directed and I’m responding in kind to that,” Delaurier said. “And looking at other municipalities throughout our province, with the 8:30 (a.m.) to 4:30 (p.m.), we’ll be more in line with what our neighbours around us are doing.”
Asked about taking money from the contractual service budget, city manager Maryse Carmichael said she uses that account to hire consultants, such as last year when the city negotiated new agreements with the WHL Warriors and the Oak View Group, which manages the Events Centre.
Continuing, Carmichael said she has already used some of that funding this year to hire consultants to help with strategic planning issues but didn’t expect to access the account for the rest of the year.
The city manager added that beginning the new hours on July 2 was “achievable.”
Coun. Chris Warren said that, as elected officials, they were “very much in the position” to establish service levels within the city, while he thought city hall’s in-person operating hours were “key and critical” to serving the community.
Warren pointed out that other major municipalities in Saskatchewan, such as Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Estevan, all open at 8 a.m. — or earlier, in some cases — and close around 4:30 p.m. That means it is “supercritical” that Moose Jaw has extended, consistent and accessible in-person hours so residents could acquire services.
“These hours help keep those businesses and projects on schedule and support economic growth,” he said. “Not everyone has flexible work hours and … (can) attend city hall between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so extended hours help working families, seniors (and) people with disabilities … .”
Warren — who has experienced the frustration of the building’s reduced hours — added that expanded in-person hours will help with “accountability and openness” and build trust with residents.
Coun. Heather Eby agreed with the revised motion since she wanted staff to have time to answer emails in the morning or wrap up business at the day’s end. She pointed out that employees would likely be working at 5:30 p.m. if the doors closed at 5.
She added that the projected overtime costs of $3,000 for front-desk staff were “not that much,” while she thought it was “definitely a plus” that the building was open over lunch even if not everyone had a flexible schedule to attend then.
Coun. Patrick Boyle said this is an issue he’s been hearing about since last fall, while he saw these changes as promoting consistency and providing a positive level of service.
Continuing, he said this kind of service is what residents expect from their levels of government, while the new hours align Moose Jaw with other cities. However, he expected the time to change in the future once the city was “in a more digitally mature state.”
Council then voted unanimously to approve the amended motion.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 9.
