The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday temporarily modified the Clerk/ Recorder’s office hours as an emergency measure to accommodate staff shortages and allow for staff time to train in the afternoon.
The office is now open from 7 AM to 1 PM, including being open to the public during the lunch hour.
The change came at the request of newly-elected Clerk Recorder Cristy Edwards, who took over the position from Rose Gallo-Vasquez on Jan 3.
County officials said the office, which is allocated six employees, has only four, two of which have been on the job six months or less. Another senior employee will be on an extended leave of absence for several weeks.
“The staff I have is amazing,” Edwards said. “But there will be only three for a while.”
Edwards said the change in hours – from earlier in the morning to midday – will allow for the office to still serve the public while cross-training duties throughout the office. The change will also allow for staff to schedule necessary appointments (time off) during hours that won’t impact service to the public.
The temporary change in hours will be for 30 days. Regular hours are expected to resume in mid-February.
“We are just trying in these 30 days to get up and going, so when we re-open we will be far more efficient at what we are doing,” Edwards said.
The office, which is normally open from 8:30 AM to 4 PM, but closed from noon to 1 PM for lunch, previously allowed 6.5 hours of public access. The temporary change, which went into effect on Wednesday, reduces the hours of public access to six hours, although employees will continue to work a 7.5 workday. ■