JAY — Town office hours will change the week of Jan. 16.
Selectmen voted Monday to eliminate the one-hour-extended opening offered two nights and to keep the office open to 5 p.m. on Thursdays.
Two of the town office clerks will work on that night.
Currently one person works alone at the town office from 4 to 5 p.m.
Hours will remain the same this week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Two employees will work those nights for safety purposes.
The following week and from then on, the office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, the busiest time, according to Town Manager Ruth Cushman.
Cushman told selectmen she and others are concerned about the safety of employees if only one of them is working the late hour because of recent crime. She recommended the office be open an hour later on only one night, but have two employees working.
The town did not budget to put two employees on an additional hour three nights a week, board Chairman Steve McCourt said.
Resident Ellen Levesque asked why workers could not come in an hour later so that no overtime pay was needed. She also voiced concern about residents who work and can not make it to the town office to do business because of their schedules.
Town office workers’ union contract states the regular hours to work are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Cushman said.
Eliminating two nights a week will save 90 minutes of overtime, Cushman said.
Selectman Amy Gould said she was initially concerned about the change in hours because she works out of town until she spoke to Cushman.
Cushman said that many of the services the town office offers can be done online. You can re-register a vehicle, snowmobile, trailer and can get fishing and hunting licenses. The only item that cannot be re-registered online is a dog, Cushman said.
Town employees work with housebound people to re-register dogs by using the mail, Cushman said.
The only time someone would need to appear in person would be for a first-time registration.
Selectman Tim DeMillo said he would like to leave the option open that selectmen could change their minds if the new office hours create a hardship for the public.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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