To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Rex Bohn
Agenda Section: Initiated by Board Member
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
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Consider Closing County Offices and Encourage Staff to Voluntarily Furlough on July 3, 2023 (Supervisor Rex Bohn)
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Close county offices (not including 24/7 county service departments) and encourage staff to voluntarily furlough on July 3, 2023 to coincide with the July 4, 2023 holiday.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund (1100)
DISCUSSION:
This year, the 4th of July holiday falls on Tuesday and there is not a scheduled Board of Supervisor meeting for that day. Therefore, the Board is being asked to consider closing county offices (not including 24/7 county service departments) on Monday, July 3rd, 2023 and offer voluntary furloughs to county staff as a measure to produce savings and help reduce the budget deficit estimated to be $15.5 million in fiscal year 2022-23.
While voluntary furloughs are encouraged, staff that are unable to take a day unpaid (furlough) will be allowed to use other benefit time, telework or work from the office at department head discretion. The courts will remain open, requiring some law and justice staff to be available for court. Due to short notice some departments will not be able to accommodate a furlough and will have staff working that day. Department Heads indicated that more than half of the county departments could accommodate the closure using a hybrid of furlough time, benefit time and/or minimal staffing.
If approved by the Board, county offices will be closed to the public (not including 24/7 county service departments) on Monday, July 3rd, 2023. Staff would be encouraged to use voluntary furlough as a cost saving measure or be allowed to use other benefit time, telework or work from the office. All of the aforementioned uses of time would be at the discretion of department heads and dependent upon department needs.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Cost savings from voluntary furloughs are anticipated and although not significant there may be savings from full office closures on July 3, 2023, these amounts are unknown at this time. Staff are developing tracking mechanisms to articulate savings at a future date.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Framework.
Core Roles: N/A
New Initiatives: Manage our resources to ensure sustainability of services
Strategic Plan: N/A
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
N/A
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Board discretion.
ATTACHMENTS:
N/A
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A