LEWISTON – Councilors could hear a plan this month to cut back on City Hall heating bills by shutting down another day each week.

City Administrator James Bennett said he has talked to the city’s labor unions representatives about reducing the number of days per week city offices would be open. He hopes to bring the idea to the City Council during an Oct. 14 workshop meeting.

$10,000 savings

The goal is to cut down on energy costs by keeping buildings closed.

A shorter work week represents another day the city doesn’t have to pay to heat its buildings during the winter or keep them cool in the summer. Initial estimates say the city could save up to $10,000 per year.

“If you look at it one way, is $10,000 a big chunk of a $90 million budget? Probably not,” Bennett said. “But it means we’d have $10,000 more in the budget to do something else.”

Cut one day per week

City Hall and the city’s Public Works shops could close each Friday, reducing their work week to four days. The library, currently open six days per week, could go down to five.

The city’s recreation department offices in the Armory and Multi-Purpose Center could close one day during the week, as well. Those offices are currently staffed seven days per week.

“Of course, we’d have to increase the number of hours we’d be open each day,” Bennett said. “We’d have to open earlier and stay open later, and that might be a benefit for people that can’t get their city business handled during our normal operating hours.”

Other changes

It would also mean city staffers would have to change the way they work. Salaried staffers regularly come in on their days off to catch up on their work. That wouldn’t be allowed any more.

“If the purpose is not to heat the building during the winter, then it defeats the purpose if you have one person come in and turn up the heat,” Bennett said. “So, I guess if they do decide to come in on a day we’d be closed, they’d have to do their work in mittens.”

Child care for city employees could be another problem, he said.

“If you have people paying for child care and they start working longer hours, that can cause a problem,” he said. “That’s one of the many things we’re trying to work out with this, and we’re trying to involve our employees in this discussion. We’re really in the fact gathering stages, trying to see what has the potential of working.”