LEWISTON — City Hall will begin a pilot program in September for a four-day workweek that will extend office hours Monday through Thursday but shutter the building on Fridays.

The three-month pilot, supported unanimously by the City Council last week, was brought forward by city administration and Human Resources staff as part of an effort to attract and retain employees. However, some have questioned how the shift will impact customer service.

Brian O’Malley, acting city administrator, said the proposal was a continuation of the city’s remote work policy implemented last year as several neighboring municipalities have begun offering more flexibility for employees. He said cities and towns are “competing for a small pool of employees.”

A post on the city’s Facebook page Monday said that when staff explored the idea, 15 out of the 26 other Maine municipalities they asked already had similar schedules, while others are currently considering it.

Heather Theriault, director of Human Resources, said the goal is to “create a better work-life balance for staff” but that the revamped hours would also give the public options to do business earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon Monday through Thursday.

The pilot program will begin Sept. 12 and be evaluated after Dec. 17, staff said.

City Hall is currently open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, but the condensed workweek would open doors at 7:45 a.m. Monday-Thursday, with extended hours until 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Several councilors said they recognized the need to attract staff but that they’re concerned about losing an entire business day.

“If City Hall is shuttered three out of seven days that might hamper the ability of a citizen to get a fence permit or any other thing we would normally do,” said Councilor Josh Nagine.

Nagine and others also suggested the city look into staggering the days off for employees while at the same time making it easier for residents to conduct business online.

Councilor David Chittim said it was a “very difficult analysis to make” regarding the trade off between customer service and employee flexibility, and that he’s hoping when the pilot is reviewed in December, officials hear from the public.

“It’s a very attractive package for the employees but maybe not so great for the taxpayers who are paying the salaries,” he said.

Councilor Michael Roy said that as someone with two jobs, the extra few hours City Hall would be open Monday-Thursday probably wouldn’t make a difference. He said some people who only have Fridays off would now be out of luck. He added that the line for registering a new car is often long during current hours.

“There’s a little bit of hesitancy for me on this,” he said.

Councilor Eryn Soule-Leclair said she currently works a four-day week and recognizes its benefit to employees, stating, “my morale is fantastic.”

Theriault said that when she surveyed the 64 City Hall employees regarding the idea, only two had concerns, and they were surrounding childcare. The city would be flexible in those situations as well, she said.

Councilor Tim Gallant questioned if the city could pull the plug on the pilot if the response from the public is overwhelmingly against the schedule early on.

O’Malley said they’ve heard from other municipalities that “there’s going to be complaints,” but then most get used to the new schedule. He said he’d like to give it more than month trial, but would have to give employees at least two weeks notice of any change. O’Malley also said the city is working to make more things automated on its website.

The city’s Facebook post about the program led to a mixed reaction Monday, with some opposing the Friday closure or questioning whether one late closure will make a difference for customer service.

“City employees are public employees meaning they must be there for the business of the public,” one commenter said.

During public comment last week, resident Matt Roy said City Hall employees represent a small fraction of the total city and school employees.

“People aren’t coming here for a four-day workweek,” he said. “It comes down to management and pay and benefits.”

Mayor Carl Sheline said he’s in favor of the change.

“The world has changed post-pandemic and we need to change as well,” he said. “This new schedule helps us remain competitive. We need to be able to attract top talent and retain our hardworking employees. Our employees give our city and residents their very best every day and having a four-day workweek won’t change that.”