Memorandum
Date: June 23, 2020
To: The Honorable Moke Simon, Chair, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Carol J. Huchingson, County Administrative Officer
Subject: Consideration of a Resolution Amending Resolution No. 2018-118 Establishing Temporary Alternative Office Hours for County offices Located in and Surrounding the Lake County Courthouse or Alternative Direction to Staff
Executive Summary: (include fiscal and staffing impact narrative):
When the Friday closure pilot was initiated, staff vacancy rates had recently trended around 20%, county-wide, and this trend has held relatively steady (+/- a few percentage points) in the time since.
Earlier this year, your Board received feedback at a workshop on Economic Development that Friday closures have been inconvenient for some members of the public. On March 10, further public comment was received from representatives of the Real Estate industry, noting inconvenience and delays in deal closures. In the interim, the COVID-19 crisis upset many norms, and County offices were entirely closed to the public as a consequence of federal and state guidance and mandates.
Just prior to the COVID-19 Shelter in Place Order, your Board directed staff to initiate discussion with Department Heads, to determine the feasibility of generally resuming normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm). 19 Department Heads responded to a survey, with most indicating willingness to reopen if directed to do so by your Board. However, Department Heads opined that the protected work time since August 2018 has had significant benefits, and profound financial and staffing-related challenges remain.
On June 16, 2020, while reviewing Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021, due to the anticipated negative financial impacts resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, your Board directed that for Final Recommended Budget (to be heard on September 23, 2020), Departments should plan to reduce expenditures, make sure all contracts fo...
Click here for full text