Gas prices lead city to shorten workweek

Adversity often gives birth to innovation. And, just as every family and business struggles with rising fuel costs, the city of Montgomery is experiencing gasoline pains.

Mayor Bobby Bright hopes adapting the workweek for some employees will save money and improve productivity. If the 90-day experiment works, city maintenance crews will work four 10-hour days each week. The move will keep the equivalent of 98 city vehicles off the road two days each week.


Although the plan was announced Friday, the city’s traffic engineering department has used the strategy since 1996 with positive results.

Bubba Bowden, director of the traffic engineering department, says the method has raised employee morale while increasing production and saving fuel and equipment usage.

Montgomery Advertiser