CHARLOTTE — Eaton County officials said a more stable budget situation is allowing them to restore Friday hours for administrative offices that went to a four-day schedule early last year.
The schedule change was formalized by the county Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, July 15, and apparently affects about a dozen county offices located in the Eaton County Courthouse, including the county clerk and treasurer. Court operations and public meetings were not affected by the reduced schedule.
The new schedule begins Aug. 3, with the offices open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday minus a lunch closure from noon to 1 p.m.
The reduced schedule took effect in March 2025 and was intended “to ensure continued efficiency in county services and to attempt to relieve unsustainable workloads for county employees,” officials said at the time.
Staff continued to work 40 hours a week, they said.
The four-day schedule for public office hours allowed the county to “maintain service while addressing current staffing limitations and financial issues,” officials said in February 2025. That was an apparent reference to a countywide budget crisis that led to a failed millage request in 2024 and a smaller one in 2025.
“The Board’s action to expand access to county services comes as the budget begins to stabilize following significant budget cuts in Fiscal Year 2025/26,” county officials said in a July 16 news release.
Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Eaton County to restore 5-day public schedule for most offices
Reporting by Ken Palmer, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ken Palmer, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
