PORTLAND, OR - Clackamas County's four-day workweek for most county employees is expected to achieve an overall projected savings of $456,000, according to The Clackamas Review.

County commissioners agreed Sept. 8 to continue indefinitely with the one-year pilot program after a series of surveys and a study by Portland State University found the program saved money and was popular with the public and employees, reported the Review.

Implemented last October on a one-year pilot basis as part of a larger countywide push toward energy savings and sustainability and to combat rising energy costs, most county offices are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and closed Fridays.

In addition to a projected savings of more than $386,000 in projected overtime and compensatory time during the past year, the Portland State study found a reduction in electricity, fuel for the county fleet, and janitorial costs that brought the overall projected savings to $456,000.

A citizen survey showed that 55 percent of those conducting business with the county used the additional hours and 81 percent said service was either better or the same, according to the Review.

About 828 of the county's approximately 1,800 employees are covered by the alternate workweek. The program does not apply to emergency service providers such as the sheriff's office or to offices whose operating hours are set by state statute, the Review reported.