Commission debates four-day week

BONNERS FERRY  — Closing the Boundary County Courthouse on Fridays would better serve the community, not to save the county money, said Commissioner Ron Smith.

 On Monday, Boundary County commissioners opened discussion on the possibility of having courthouse workers work a four-day work week. 

Smith recused  himself from making a decision.

“I myself have witnessed people standing at the front door at 8 a.m. trying to get in, of course they can’t get in until 9 a.m. to conduct any business,” said Smith.

If commissioners approve the change, the courthouse would be open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m., four days a week. Currently, it is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

If approved, courthouse employees would work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The four, 10-hour days would include an hour for lunch.

The clerk of courts and prosecutor’s offices would be open on Friday because Idaho law requires that court-related business be conducted five days a week.

Smith said that if the change is approved, it would be begin on a trial basis beginning April 1 and run through Sept. 30, the last month of the fiscal year. The issue then would be revisited to see examine the benefits and problems associated with the decision.

“I have had  people tell me that at 5 p.m., when we close, people have been running for the door trying to conduct business before we close,” Smith said.

Commissioner Walt Kirby added that a change in hours would benefit Boundary County’s working public.

“I have given this a fair amount of thought because it is effecting a lot of people’s jobs,” said Kirby.  

“It would be nice to be able to offer services for a couple more hours a day, but I don’t know if it is worth the effort or not, but maybe it would be.”

Kirby also suggested another solution in which elected officials could increase their hours in their departments and shift people around to add a couple of hours a day without having to close offices on Friday.

It is an issue that should be examined, said Commissioner Dan Dinning.

“We are not wrong going down and investigating this road, we should do that as county commissioners and that is what we are doing in this process right now,” he said. 

“There are concerns that will still come up and this process you are in right now with interaction with us is what our government is about,” Dinning said.

He asked for help with suggestions rather than tearing down the commissioners. He felt there is merit in four ten-hour days.

The suggestion also has merit with some county staff.

“I am a very small office,” said Treasurer Jenny Fessler.

“We have cut out a full-time person to save the county money and there is no way I can split two people up,” she said. “I am in favor of trying it.”

Resident Donna Capurso, who is running for county commissioner, read a statement at the meeting. 

“I don’t understand why the courthouse can’t open its doors at 8 a.m. This will give the public access five additional hours per week,” she said.             “It is time to put the public back in public service,” Capurso said.

According to elected officials who attended the meeting, employees are at the courthouse at 8 a.m., transferring money between departments and updating court schedules to accommodate any arrests made overnight. 

Others say changing courthouse hours would cause problems.

County Clerk Glenda Poston said the hour between 8 and 9 a.m. is a critical time in which employees prepare for the day.

First American Title manager Fern Ellsworth expressed concerns about the company’s ability to record documents. 

Like the county, the company  also serves the public and by not being able to record documents on a specific day, they would be prevented funding escrow accounts and meeting client deadlines, she said.

Employees  of the courthouse who take lunch hours at downtown restaurants would be lost. The effect this could have on restaurant owners as well as their employees was also discussed.

Resident Terry Capurso suggested that the people behind the plan are courthouse employees, while those who supposedly would benefit from it are against it.

“You can’t say that these few people speak for the entire county,” Smith said. “There is a small number of people here in the room.”

“It should serve as notice to you that the people that are served by government services don’t like this plan,” Capurso said.

After heated discussion it was decided to talk about the issue at a later date, but no date was set.

 Smith made a statement by removing himself from issue. He will not be involved in research or changing the current hours. He said Kirby and Dinning will be the ones to approve or deny the issue.

“It doesn’t appear too many people in this room agree with the route that I am trying to take,” Smith said.