Alexandria City Hall goes to four-day work week to save money

ALEXANDRIA - City officials are making strides to save money on energy expenses, and residents will soon see a change at City Hall as a result.

Starting Aug. 4, Alexandria City Hall will change its hours of operation in hopes of saving money on electricity and heating costs.

Changing to a 10-hour day, City Hall will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and will be closed on Friday. This is a trial run, explained Mayor Jack Woods. If the action does not save the city any money, a normal five-day work week will resume.

The move is just the latest in several adjustments being made to cut costs. Police Chief Brian Burnett said police officers are no longer idling their engines. The change went into effect last month and has already saved the department 300 gallons of gas, Burnett said.

The Police Department is also turning off all non-essential computers to save pennies.

Residents could soon see Alexandria police officers on bike patrols as the department transitions into the cost-saving measure, Burnett said during Monday's City Council meeting.

Fire Chief Bruce Waters said the Fire Department is saving money by cutting back on errands, reducing the use of electricity and getting the building more prepared for winter weather, hoping to make it energy efficient.

The city water department is saving thousands by utilizing leftovers from the city's wastewater treatment plant improvement project. The water department is taking the excess dirt from the construction site for use in fixing broken water mains. The latest load of 210 tons hauled from the site is expected to save $2,600 in soil costs for the department.

City workers shut off downtown decorative lights recently in an attempt to save electricity costs as well.