The Salt Lake City Mayor's Office has abandoned its plan to allow employees to take an hour off Thursday afternoon on the taxpayers' dime.

Based in part on concerns raised by the Utah Taxpayers Association and city residents, the mayor's office said Thursday that employees will have to use personal time, vacation time or work through two lunches if they want to leave the office at 3 p.m. to celebrate Utah Day — a pregame bash ahead of the University of Utah football team's opening game with Texas A&M.

The mayor's office had previously said "nonessential" employees could take off two hours early if they worked through one lunch and wore red, giving them essentially an hour of paid free time.

"It became clear that the original concept of letting employees off at 3 if they missed lunch wasn't going to work because there'd still be an hour that sort of would have been a free hour," Mayor Rocky Anderson's spokeswoman Deeda Seed said.

Taxpayers Association vice president Mike Jerman applauded the move.

"Government employees, like private sector employees, should be paid for services rendered," he said. "To receive pay for eight hours while only working seven hours is an issue that should concern taxpayers, especially considering that the city is raising property taxes this year for the library."

Seed said there were also equity concerns that some employees, who might not work 9 to 5, wouldn't get the free hour while others would.

Seed said the equity issue and the idea of taxpayers subsidizing an hour of work didn't sit well with Anderson.

"He certainly understood the Utah Taxpayers Association's argument, and he absolutely believes in responsible government," she said.

The offer to take off work early on Utah Day only applies to nonessential employees, Seed said. Department supervisors will have to determine whether an employee is considered nonessential.

From 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, essential employees that interact with the public will have to remain at City Hall and at other city offices to handle the public's business, Seed said.

The Utah Day festivities begin at 2 p.m. and end at kickoff time — 5:30 p.m. The activities will take place at the Salt Lake City Sport Complex just south of Rice-Eccles Stadium on Guardsman Way.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com