Las Vegas to retain 3-day weekends for most workers

Las Vegas is bringing in more money these days, a development that has meant better pay and more hours for many city workers and, officials say, better service for residents.

But it does not mean the city plans to do away with its three-day weekends.

City officials last week confirmed they will hang on to their Monday-through-Thursday work schedule, despite projected multimillion-dollar increases in property and consolidated sales tax revenue expected to help restore a 40-hour workweek for hundreds of non-public safety employees represented by the Las Vegas City Employees Association. Those workers had been limited to a 38-hour workweek since 2011.

The city’s four-day week, first implemented as a cost-saving measure four years ago, was once projected to save the city up to $6 million annually. Officials estimate the move saved the city $16.5 million over the past three years. Today, after many city employees have returned to a 40-hour work week, they say their long weekends save taxpayers only around $200,000 in yearly utility costs.

That’s good for around 2 percent of the total projected cost associated with bringing back a 40-hour, four-day work schedule for hundreds of City Employees Association workers who signed a long-awaited work contract with the city in December.

The $11 million price tag attached to that deal comes on top of 4 percent pay increases handed back to some marshals, 1.5 percent pay hikes given back to Metro police and restored step pay increases awarded to Las Vegas firefighters.

So if Las Vegas can now afford raises for its employees, why not bring back full, five-day-a-week service for residents?

Chief Financial Officer Mark Vincent said Las Vegas reserves the right to bring back a five-day week work schedule at anytime, he’s just not sure it needs to.

“We’ve made provisions to help customers on weekends,” Vincent said, referring to changes put in motion before last week’s budget meeting. “Once most of our citizens got used to it, it wasn’t much of an issue for them.”

The four-day week began as a byproduct of tense union talks held with the employees in 2010, when the city threatened to lay off 120 workers represented by the city’s largest union, but settled for a 5 percent salary savings brought about through a shortened work schedule.

The city wouldn’t have to bargain with its unions to reinstate banker’s hours at City Hall, though Vincent doubts that’ll happen anytime soon.

He and others pointed to the results of a recent community survey that showed residents were 71 percent satisfied with Las Vegas services provided under the four-day week, while only 5 percent of the those surveyed said they were dissatisfied with the city’s job performance.

And the three-day workweek is popular among employees.

So why not go to a three-day week? Or two?

Vincent said there are limits to an employee’s durability, especially when stretched over a 24-hour or 36-hour shift.

“We can’t all be like a firefighter,” he added.

City Employees Association President Henry Lujan did not return several phone calls and emails seeking comment.

City Manager Betsy Fretwell has lauded deals brokered with Lujan’s union — along with many of the city’s earlier reinstated pay hikes and benefits — as a sign the city has finally “turned the corner” after the recession.

Fretwell didn’t directly address a question about the possibility that the city’s short week had become a mere morale booster for union employees, as opposed to a cost-saving measure meant to benefit taxpayers.

She said around 40 residents visit City Hall or Las Vegas’ Development Services Center on Fridays, not enough to justify staffing those buildings for another day.

“A lot of times, people come to City Hall, but they’re really trying to find another government agency,” she said. “We don’t see a compelling reason to (reopen on Fridays), but it’s something we’ll continue to monitor.”

North Las Vegas and Henderson both operate on four-day workweeks. The Clark County government center is open five days a week.

A blog post on Las Vegas’ Tumblr page — uploaded, ironically enough, on Friday — heralded new tools to help residents conduct business during City Hall’s long weekends, including the addition of “quick pay” kiosks that accept business licensing fees and self-service computers installed at City Hall to offer greater access to online city services.

Parts of City Hall — such as a customer service call center and second-floor classroom space long leased to the College of Southern Nevada — remain open five days a week, as do phone lines to City Council members and their staffers.

The city plans to continue providing public safety, public works, jail and parks and recreation services seven days a week.

Contact James DeHaven at jdehaven@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3839. Find him on Twitter: @JamesDeHaven.