In LaPorte County they’re talking the talk and walking the walk when it comes to a four-day work week.

The county park department made the switch about two weeks ago.

More than a year ago, county highway workers went to a four-day work week—at least during the summer months.

Nearly 80 of LaPorte County’s 600 employees are now on a four-day work week at least part of the year.

Some are pushing to take the concept county-wide as soon as possible.

While managing and maintaining the parks is still a full-time job in LaPorte County, it’s now a job that’s done four days a week instead of five.

Think of it as the modern day version of an employee perk.

“In lieu of the fact that there’s probably not going to be raises this year, that’s what we’ve been told,” said LaPorte County Park Superintendent Timothy Morgan, “it’ll be a little bit of cost savings: instead of driving to work five days a week they’ll only have to drive four.”

The park offices are now closed on Friday. To compensate, the Monday through Thursday hours have been extended.

The parks remain open to the public every day of the year.

“The cost savings, you have to look at the cost savings,” said LaPorte County Commissioner Barbara Huston. “I’d rather do something like this as far as cost savings is concerned than to possibly think about laying people off.”

You might be surprised just how much money can be saved by turning out the lights and dialing down the heat or air conditioning one additional day per week, 52-weeks a year.

“I was surprised,” said Huston. “I had heard some areas in between 39 and 79-thousand it would save the county as far as utilities are concerned.”

Those figures would apply if the four-day work week were imposed in all county departments.

“We talked about doing it in a trial program like for just a few months at the end of this year, to see how it would work,” said Huston. “Obviously if it didn’t work we could always go back.”

The biggest hurdle to taking the concept county-wide in LaPorte has been the court system.

Judges have scheduled trials well into next year, and the schedules were based on a five-day calendar.

At this time the courts are also in the same building as several county departments.