The Peru City Clerk’s Office soon will be open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Peru City Council approved the change of hours Monday.
City Clerk Dave Bartley said there is no timeline for the change because he wants to make sure the public has enough time to adjust but he said the change may start in early June.
Bartley requested the change to link up the administration’s hours, in an effort to support each other the best they can.
“With COVID there is sort of a move away coming into the office all the time to do your business, so we still have the opportunity to pay a bill by the phone, by the website, or by the drop box,” he said.
The clerk’s office is the only municipal department that requires council approval to change the hours, as it is the only one with an ordinance. The clerk’s office is currently open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A few aldermen suggested a member of the clerk’s office work later to accommodate the public that may need to visit after work.
“I believe the clerk’s office is the entry point to the city of Peru and if they don’t know who to talk to or they need something they don’t go to the police, they go to the clerk’s office,” said Aldermen Tom Payton.
Aldermen Mike Sapienza said he was concerned about safety of having one person in the building at a time.
“I wouldn’t set us up where I had one person close the building,” Bartley said. “There would be some risk involved.”
The council discussed the possibility of revisiting the change if the panel got some “pushback” from the public.
“If we do move this forward, we will monitor to see how big the backlash is, but I agree with Alderman Sapienza I don’t want one person in the building by themselves,” said Mayor Ken Kolowski.
The motion was approved 6-0, with Aldermen Payton and Andy Moreno abstaining.
