The county last had a hiring freeze in September 2004.
McCallum said if a department truly believes it needs another employee or employees, the elected official in charge of the department should contact the county commissioners and request a meeting before the county board to explain why it is necessary.
“I think it’s a good monitoring thing for our budget,” McCallum said.
Services will not be hindered, in part because the county may replace employees who leave. In addition, the departments will be allowed to have an additional employee temporarily work while the new employee is being trained to replace someone quitting or retiring.
Lee Klein, another county commissioner, said the hiring freeze is not much different from how the county currently has been operating.
The county has not added many new employees recently, although there was a shift of duties between two departments that was mandated by the state, Klein said.
As part of the motion to enact the hiring freeze, county board members directed the county clerk to type a letter containing points discussed at the meeting. Then each elected official will be asked to keep a copy of the letter in their files until further notice.
Commissioners said they do not know when the freeze will be lifted.
