The City Council last month approved the measure in a 5-3 vote, with staff noting that closing city offices for the half day would cost about $30,000. Prior to the vote, city employees already had two hours off with pay to vote, with the three council members who rejected the measure noting that the two hours and early voting is enough time for employees to cast their ballots.
The city’s human resources director, Bernadette Salazar, said staff will review how many employees vote in November and can use this data to decide if they should continue giving employees the time off in the future.