Some Municipal Offices May Open on Saturdays

As part of Pasadena City Hall’s new customer-friendly approach, City Manager Philip Hawkey is looking to open some municipal offices on Saturdays and to reopen them on the two Fridays a month they have been closed in recent years.

“The idea is to have available to the public the offices they use more hours per week,” Hawkey said. “It might mean opening the permitting office and doing building inspections. . . . We must adjust our schedule to meet the needs of our customers.”

With many residents unable to get to City Hall during its current hours, Hawkey persuaded the City Council this week to allow him to look into changing work schedules in offices such as municipal services, where people pay their bills.

Hawkey said he will bring back a proposal for council approval in August to staff heavily used customer service areas with skeleton crews on Saturdays and Fridays.

“It is kind of like the banks. . . . They used to close at 3 and be closed on the weekends. Now, they open on Saturdays to 2 and so should city offices,” he said.