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Staff at the Town of Innisfil are gearing up for a week off after Christmas this year.
All non-essential services will be closed at noon on Christmas Eve, December 24 until Monday, January 4, 2016.
Deputy Mayor Lynn Dollin says the decision to shut down was made many months ago, to allow staff to plan.
"It is what it is," Dollin said.
All essential services, including roads maintenance, water and wastewater services, police, fire and by-law will be available throughout the holidays.
For town service emergencies residents are asked to call South Simcoe Police at 705-436-2141.
Innisfil employees will be required to use vacation, lieu or banked time, or unpaid leave. for the days off outside of stat holidays.
"It's really a balancing act," Dollin explained. "We want to make sure that our staff members have a chance to spend some quality time with their families over the holidays, and we also want to know that our residents are getting the services that they need."
Staff reviewed the impact of the 2014 office closure which lasted from December 22-26, and "no concerns were received from the community regarding the closure."
The Communications and Customer Service team noted that during this period, 11 voicemail messages and 18 web inquiries were received.
"The nature of those calls and emails stemmed from garbage collection, animal control, recreation registration and planning/zoning inquiries," according to a report to council.
In Barrie, city hall will shut down on Dec. 24 at noon and reopen on Dec. 29. It will also close at noon on Dec. 31 and reopen Jan. 4, 2016.
Dollin says the closure will add costs and may have a positive impact on staff and the town.
"We probably get much more productive time from our staff during other times in the year, rather than the week between Christmas and New Year. What would really get done?"
Council voted unanimously to approve the week-long closure.
"We will track any impact, and if this becomes an issue, we will have to react with a different plan," Dollin said.
