MOOSE JAW — Maintaining city hall’s reduced public hours allows departments to function more efficiently, ensures higher quality customer service overall, supports staff well-being and promotes better resource management, a new report suggests.
City manager Maryse Carmichael provided a report during the May 26 regular city council meeting with information about the building’s public hours and how that truncated time benefits employees, .
The report was in response to a
Council discussed that motion later in the meeting.
Pre-March 2020, city hall operated weekdays from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., but on March 17, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the building closed as a precautionary measure, the report said. City hall reopened on July 20, 2020, but with reduced hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Nearly a year later, on May 31, 2021, the municipality announced that the building’s permanent public hours would be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. However, staff continued working from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. and continued answering phone and email inquiries during those times.
“The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the way public services are delivered, accelerating a shift toward multi-platform service models that continue to define operations in the post-COVID era,” the report said, noting organizations expanded their service channels to include telephone, email, web portals and virtual meetings.
Since then, customers have become accustomed to — and increasingly expect — “convenient, flexible access to services across various platforms,” the report continued. There is now a greater mix of in-person, phone and digital service options, while some departments have streamlined internal processes and adopted digital platforms and virtual meetings.
“While in-person service remains critical — especially for complex projects or sensitive matters — virtual and online services are increasingly, in all city departments, a core part of how we engage with and support our residents,” the document noted.
The new online permitting software program will allow the municipality to transform how it conducts business by digitizing and streamlining the permit application, review, and approval process, the report said.
Furthermore, it will replace paper-based or manual systems and enable residents, contractors and staff to submit, track and manage permits more efficiently and “drastically” reducing in-person visits.
“These changes to how we conduct business are modernizing our municipal operations, leading to improved service delivery and greater satisfaction for both residents and staff,” the report added.
Meanwhile, the finance department has benefited most from reduced in-person hours.
The current schedule allows staff to focus on critical back-office tasks — like cashing in and out or answering residents’ inquiries — during non-public hours, with these tasks integral to the department’s function and that cannot be managed when staff constantly engage in front-counter responsibilities, the report continued.
Furthermore, the inability to close for lunch or during unexpected staff shortages strains resources, the report said. Less public-facing time has eased the strain and allowed the team to maintain consistent service levels.
If city hall returned to regular in-person hours, the cost for Commissionaires would be $17,500 annually or $1,458.33 monthly, while opening from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. would cost $9,550 annually and $795.82 monthly, the document noted. Also, the finance department would incur overtime costs of roughly $5,500 annually.
“In conclusion, maintaining some form of reduced public hours allows the departments to function more efficiently, ensures a higher quality of customer service areas across all platforms and supports staff well-being and resource management,” the report added.
Coun. Dawn Luhning express hesitation about being involved in making this decision.
“I understand there are some people that believe that city hall should be open earlier and back to pre-COVID hours … ,” she continued. “(But this) is more of an administration issue and not something we as elected officials should be prioritizing as something we should be concerned about.
“Times have changed and business is done differently in a lot of aspects, including municipalities,” Luhning added.
Council then voted to receive and file Carmichael’s report.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 9.
