BIDDEFORD — The city of Biddeford’s transfer station hours could change to a four-day schedule instead of five, but be open for business slightly more hours.
Currently, the transfer station hours are 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, a total of 37.5 hours each week. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
The proposed change would see the transfer station hours at 7 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, for 39 open hours. The transfer station would be closed Sunday-Tuesday.
The city council conducted a vote on changing the ordinance to allow the schedule shift on Dec. 20 and will hold a second reading and vote on Jan. 10.
The proposal is linked to reduced employee recruitment and retention, city officials said.
“Our ability to attract employees to the rest of public works is directly linked to the four-day, 10-hour work week,” City Manager James Bennett told the city council. Hours for public works employees, with two exceptions, were recently changed to four, 10-hour days. The exceptions include wastewater operations, which must follow a five-day week under the state Department of Environmental Protection license, and the transfer station hours, which can change operations only by an ordinance amendment approved by the city council. Bennett told the council they can always add hours to the program later — the department has previously added some hours in the summer months — as long as the funds are budgeted.
“There is an absolute relationship,” between other public works employees working four, 10 hour days and the proposal to do the same at the transfer station, Bennett said. “If the council doesn’t (want) to support this, the rest of the department t will be back to five, eight-hour days.”
The new proposal originally would have had the transfer station open at 6 a.m. and close at 3:45 p.m. on Saturdays, with the idea it would get employees home an hour earlier that day, but councilors balked.
Councilor Bill Emhiser said the current hours schedule is confusing and supports overall change — with the exception of the initial Saturday hours proposal. He said he likes to get up, do the work that needs to be done and head for the transfer station mid-afternoon.
“I don’t know anyone who is cleaning their house at 5 a.m. (on a Saturday) to get to the transfer station at 6 a.m.,” said Council President Norman Belanger. “I much prefer same hours as rest of the proposed change. I prefer same days same hours all four days.”
Councilor Martin Grohman said he wanted to think more carefully about the proposal.
“(This) is a huge deal,” said Grohman. “I want to tread carefully and I hope the public will weigh in.” He said he “regretfully” opposes the plan as is, because it wants the proposal to have more vetting.
While agreeing that the current hours are confusing, “this is a major city service and people really react strongly when we make these changes, and people really want availability,” said Grohman.
Belanger noted morale at City Hall, along with employee retention and recruitment, improved when the work week changed to four, 10-hour days on June 27.
The council amended the proposed transfer station schedule change to four, 10-hour days, with open hours 7 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. The vote was 5-1, with Grohman dissenting. Councilors Amy Clearwater, Doris Ortiz and Marc Lessard were absent.
The proposal will be back on the council agenda for a second reading and vote on Jan. 10. City council meetings typically take place on the first and third Tuesday of the month, but members agreed earlier in the session to postpone the first January meeting for one week.
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