Boulder County clerk to move to four-day work week in May

John Fryar, Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·2 min read

Apr. 20—Starting in May, the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder's Office will move to a four-day work week with expanded hours Monday through Thursday, the office's staff announced Monday.

The Elections, Motor Vehicle, and Recording Divisions will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, but its offices will be closed on Fridays, the office said in a news release. Online services will remain available on Fridays.

The decision to close those divisions on Fridays was made after a four-month pilot program that tested the new operating days and hours.

"We originally decided to try the pilot program after lengthy conversations with other clerk and recorder offices in the metro area who had positive feedback from the public and staff after similar 4-day expanded weekday schedules," Boulder County Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick said in a statement.

"We started it as a pilot here in Boulder County, as we wanted to then gauge our public and staff response to the new days and hours of operation," Fitzpatrick said. "After two months in, we surveyed staff and the response was overwhelmingly in support of continuing the new schedule. Additionally, the public response has been substantially more positive than negative. The main feedback we've heard from residents is how they can now get to our office for quick trips before going to work themselves."

Fitzpatrick's staff said that under this schedule, most employees will work four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. The four-day schedule also provides a window of time immediately before and after public access hours for staff to return resident emails and phone calls. This is especially important in the Motor Vehicle Division where public email inquiries average over 75 per day, many requiring follow-up phone calls to residents outside of service hours in order to assist.

The extended hours will provide greater flexibility for community members and is expected to decrease energy use and costs associated with maintaining in-person facilities five days per week, the clerk's staff said.

For online services available for the Clerk & Recorder, see individual division websites: Elections, at bouldercounty.org/elections, Motor Vehicle, at bouldercounty.org/records/motor-vehicle and Recording at bouldercounty.org/records/recording.