The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved updated hours for the Archuleta County Assessor’s Office at its July 2 meeting, with the updated schedule effective July 1.
County Assessor Johanna Tully-Elliott explained at the meeting that the update shifts the office from being open between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to being open between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Tully-Elliott indicated that the BoCC is required to establish office hours for county offices under Colorado law.
Commissioner Warren Brown asked Tully-Elliott if she had considered doing four 10-hour days with staff rotating to allow the office to be open to the public five days a week.
She stated that she considered that, but was “not able to resolve it with the current staff.”
Tully-Elliott added that the proposed schedule would align with the schedule for the offices of the county treasurer and the county clerk and recorder.
She stated that she could work on implementing such a schedule if the commissioners desired that.
Brown commented that he had previously worked within and scheduled rotations similar to what he proposed and that Friday “just works better” for some residents.
“It just gives us a greater span of opportunities to serve the public,” he said. “I know we have deadlines that come up sometimes and sometimes they fall on a Friday and there’s a real panic that sets in since they can’t get in because we’re closed.”
Commissioner Ronnie Maez commented that there is “a lot of work” to be done at the assessor’s office during periods of property tax appeals and other times and that the rotating schedule Brown proposed might help staff deal with the demands of the work.
Tully-Elliott replied that she would consider the commissioners’ comments.
Commissioner Veronica Medina added that the other commissioners had “perfectly” stated what she was thinking.
The board then unanimously voted to approve the new office hours for the assessor’s office.
josh@pagosasun.com
