Parker Live News from the Parker Strip since 2009.
La Paz County is confirming that many departments of the County will continue the 4/10 work week until further notice.
The 4/10 concept, in which employees work 10 hours per day four days per week, is designed to save money as County and State governments continue to deal with tight budgets and difficult fiscal conditions. A typical schedule is 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday (40 hours per week).
The following departments are involved: Assessor, Board of Supervisors, Community Development (Planning & Zoning), Community Resources, Elections, Facilities Maintenance, Fiduciary, Finance, Health, La Paz Career Center, Information Technologies (I.T.), Public Works, Recorder, School Superintendent and Treasurer. All other County Departments, particularly court related services, are excluded from this 4/10 work schedule.
Call (928) 669-6115 for more information, or toll free within La Paz County, 1 (888) 526-8685.
This is a sham. The country/county is in a recession, and some would argue a depression. Instead of cutting costs by reducing hours we keep the tax feeders on the dole while the rest of us get bled dry. Cut expenses, cut hours, and cut salaries. IF the rest of us have to cut during these difficult times, why can’t our local government? I know why, because the Board Of Supervisors is more interested in mainting status quo and keeping their gig going instead of doing the right thing and helping the community
Hold on, Recall… most agree that the County budget is incredibly lean. How would it serve us better if people lost their jobs? And as far as I know, the budget is balanced with some of these tightenings of the fiscal belt. Maybe not everything should be a hatefest?
Gimme a break John! Have you ever owned your own business? Did I even say anything about losing jobs? THE BUDGET IS BALANCED??? I want what you are smoking! (Is it cheaper than Budweiser?) This county is so upside down you can’t even see bottom from here. AND I ain’t hating when it’s the right thing to do. This isn’t about destroying anyones livlihood, this is about sound economic principles. To continue to spend with reckless abandon in down times is immoral, NOT hateful!
In reality there is NO savings by going to 4 10 hour days. Period. In a normal day the office would start at 8:00 and done at 5:00. That’s 9 hours of air conditioning and lights and other utilities. In a 10 hour day the office opens at 7:00 and closes at 6:00. That’s 11 hours of air conditioning and lights and other utilities. In a 5 day normal work week, it would mean 45 hours of open office and the costs associated. In a 4 day work week as described above, it would mean 44 hours of open office and the associated costs.
In reality, the savings is only 1 hour of utilities. Pay stays the same. Just the inconvenience of missing 1 day of open office time for the public is hardly worth what they are doing. It just goes to prove that government should never be involved with anything important. They can’t possibly be the right people for the job if they can’t even figure THIS out!
Point well made Rocky. When I used to do construction we would sometimes do 4 10’s because we could get more work done. (We got paid by the job not the hour) There isn’t anymore work being accomplished here. The county is so slowed down (and bankrupt) that the only sensible thing to do is to cut back. Tough medicine, but this county brought it on themselves. People need to get mad at their elected officials not citizens who are speaking the truth
The bottom line to all of this is that the county offices are a business. They provide a service for a fee, just like any other business would. They are the only ones who can say to their customer “we’re only going to be available to you for 4 days and the other 3, you’re on your own” and we HAVE to take it! We can’t fire them; we can’t take our business elsewhere because where else is there?
If Safeway were to say to it’s customers that they’re only going to serve them 5 days a week while Wal-Mart and Basha’s stayed open 7 days like they do now, people would stop shopping at Safeway. We can’t stop shopping at the county offices even though they clearly are not interested in “customer service.” They should be “fired” and people who are truly interested in serving the people of La Paz county “hired” to replace them.
The county leaders should start looking over their shoulders and be concerned about keeping their jobs. The gravy train should be coming to an end for you if you can’t figure this out!
Wow, I believe that none of you were at the actually Board of Supervisors Meeting when this was discussed at length and approved indefinitely. There were some very valid points and cost savings that were outlined.
Also, most people that deal with the County on a “regular” (more than once a year to pay their taxes) basis really like the new hours. Construction people can get in early and get their permits and get started! Also engineers can pick up their drawings. As far as School Superintendent’s office, most of the schools in the County have already gone to 4 tens, so that is working out for us, it also allows computer maintenance after schools are shut down (very convenient and helpful, even the 10 hour a day schools are closed by 5 p.m.). Moral and attendance has been improved as well, leading to less absentism.
I am sorry that the people here feel they are being “cheated” or aren’t getting their money’s worth, but overall, I believe that the majority are appreciating our new schedule. 🙂
Why stop here? Can we just hire a contractor to run the County? You know, low bidder style! I am SURE that it would have better benefits for the employees than our current managers are able to provide. Maybe that will be what Yakima does when the County is handed to them. They can contract with Halliburton! Yeah, they have smart people there. Then they can utilize the resources of our County to provide better services for residents and still make profits! Imagine new mines, businesses and the jobs they would provide. The possibilities of this County are endless if smart folks with vision were hired to run the place! Imagine county employees actually getting a RAISE! WOW haven’t heard that in a while. HAHAHAHA… Oh well, lets just keep who we have and keep feeding rich lawyers our tax dollars to chase their tales and treat us like mushrooms.
If this is such a great move why don’t we go to 3 12’s. We’d save 4 hours a week on each employee and we’d save a bunch on electricity. Never mind the fact that the less a government employee is at work the less they can mess with the productive people of society. Yes, let’s go to 3 12’s, then when we realize we can live with much less gubermint we can start eliminating positions. I mean really, do we absolutely need a county administrator to drive us to bankruptcy? And since the Board Of Supervisors all campaigned on settling the Yakima lawsuit and then forgot everything they told the voters once they got elected, maybe we can go to one meeting a month for them as well. Nobody goes to the meetings anyway, as evidenced by todays meeting. AND they do nothing but stonewall development and real progress. I betcha that if we eliminated all 3 BOS positions La Paz County would see a boom in projects. I’ve been here several years and what have the 3 geniuses ever done for the county? Oh, I forget, we got the stinky feedlot out in Vicksburg. I bet that one Supervisor sold them a lot of hay, so he probably did pretty good. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! THIS COUNTY GUBERMINT IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE
Recall Them All is all mouth and no brains.
All he does is name call, moan and complain with no solutions. How about some real solutions.
Hey organized,
My solutions are real. (And you call yourself an anarchist?) Cut government and you increase freedom. Cut government and EVERYONE is better off. Cut government and we all keep more of the money we make. And cut government even uneducated dolts like you will have more money left at the end of the month. (face it, you live month to month, if not week to week) It’s real simple. In fact, it’s so simple even you could figure it out if you stepped back from the bong! Do you even understand the definition of an anarchist? And what makes you organized? Don’t see you doing anything in the county that’s a real solution, name caller!!!
Ok Recall, your broad sweeping statements, of “Recall them all!” and “cut government” are just rhetoric. Please be specific, if you are capable of specificity. I would rather hear some real concrete ideas. Cut all government? Then you have complete anarchy, no road crews to fix the roads, no police to respond to emergecncy calls. How about no fire department? I do want less govenment, but I want my anarchy organized.
All you seem to want to do is leap up on your soapbox, while riding your high horse trampling people under the hooves of your righteousness.
Allright since you need to be spoonfed, how about we cut the department that Dan Field, John Drum and Holly Irwin and Sandy created for Holly’s husband. This was a position that was not needed and will cost the county at least 100K in salary and benefits and other costs like the free car he gets to drive to Cibola every day.
YOU are the one trampling with your high horse attitude. It’s funny because in all of the posts where you attack me recently, YOU are the one with the holier than thou attitude.
I want to get government out of my life. And yes, I want it out COMPLETELY Because government is force. There is nothing about how they regulate our life that is without some kind of coercion.
I am trying to stop the trampling that is government. You are living in this fantasy that anarchy can be organized
Let’s see now. The County claims that they’ve realized about a 25% reduction from last year in utility costs, since the 4/10s were put in place.
Didn’t they just put new energy efficient A/Cs on all the (main) county buildings over the winter? IIRC, wasn’t that supposed to save about 25% in energy costs?
I think I smell smoke being blown up someone’s anterior orifice.
Yes, and when the fecal matter really hits the oscillating device, there will be hell to pay because most citizens allow these games to be played. They win, we lose because we allow it! Unless, we recall ALL of them! DON’T RE-ELECT ANYBODY.
Hey Wondering, facts and timing are important. The County just had the new HVAC units put in over Labor Day weekend, so any cost savings realized from that was not a factor in the original test or argument to stay with 4/10’s.
Folks, I wouldn’t pay to much attention to Recall them All. You are dealing with a poor loser. Our County along with many others across the country is in a budget crisis. In the history of our County there has never been a worse economy! I know this to be a fact. These Supervisors have balanced the budget in a very tough time. Lets not forget they took over with a Judgement against them created by the past B.O.S. Another important FACT people are forgetting is the past B.O.S. neglected to complete the yearly audits and gave it to this Board six years in the rear. This Board took on a huge responsability. The funny thing about some of these post is the obvious. It’s not about what the B.O.S. has or hasen’t done. These people waite for the right time and post negative entries to try and stir the pot. These are not the type of people who understand reallity. You can give these people the correct information and if it does not fit with the tale they have spun, they avoid the truth and make something up hoping to create a disurbance. The 4-10 work week is being used all over the country. There are many reasons for the change. One reason, people call off less often, get sick less. Cost are lower! I talk to several people everyday and I live in John Drums district. The majority of the people I talk to are happy with the way things are being handled. Keep up the good work. I hope everyone can use common sense and look into things, go talk to the B.O.S, I have many times and it’s the best way to get to the truth. There are more tough times ahead of us, I only hope we can come together and find solutions rather than make problems for our neighbors for our own selfish ambitions.
Poor loser? You funny. I ain’t poor and I ain’t a loser!
I too go to the BOS meetings and there is no truth happening there! You are a shill for the clowns that are destroying this county. Anyone can balance a budget and still destroy economic livlihood. It takes talent though to bring in new jobs….. something that has not happened since this county was incorporated. The only thing that has kept this county afloat is the river that runs through it, and Quartzsite… because they have an interstate running through it, and used to have a kick butt winter season. But that has been destroyed too by 8 years of oppression by our illustrious county manager. Go talk to those folks who live in Quartzsite and ask them about the fine job Dan Field did while there. And while you are driving there look around at all of the industry you see between here and there, and then ask yourself if the people in charge of this county deserve another chance. If you say yes, you are either brain dead of a lackey for the powers that be!
R.T.A, I’m sorry I meant sore loser. It’s obvious to me your bitter over a political loss. You probably ran for Supervisor and lost. Better luck next time, it must be tough to be so angry. I mean your mad at everyone. Nobody can do anything right. I viewed your other post on other sites. I guess your the only one that can save us all! Oh and I’m not a shill, I happen to like John Drum and think he is doing a fine job. as far as the other two, I don’t know them, but they seem to be doing a good job also.I do however love how you try and blame the lack of industry on on a Board who has only been in office for a year and a half. Talk about “brain dead”!.
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John,
It’s only insulting to you because you don’t get it. You keep up the stuff you put up and the stuff your buddies enter that are insults, but anyone who fights back, is mean. Good luck being a wimpy American as the dollar collapses! Now I know who your real bosses are!