Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall
City Manager George Proakis asked the City Council to consider changing the hours for City Hall, along with the Senior Center, to half days on Fridays because it would help with recruitment of employees and added that Friday afternoons are slow for City departments. The proposal would impact City Hall, the Parker Annex and the Senior Center, and would make the hours they are open to the public 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays; and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Typically, Watertown City Hall has hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday most of the year, and during the summer it is open until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and closes at 2 p.m. on Fridays. Many city and town governments have half days on Fridays for the entire year, Proakis said. City officials examined open hours for neighboring communities, and those communities that are comparable to Watertown. They found that 12 of the 18 communities have full-year half-day Fridays.