Ingham County adopts hiring freeze, furloughs staff one day a week

MASON – Ingham County leaders on Tuesday passed a hiring freeze and other austerity measures to mitigate the financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resolution adopted unanimously by the Board of Commissioners immediately bans filling open jobs and creating new positions until Aug. 31.

It also requires department heads to halt non-essential out-of-state travel and restrict all "non-essential discretionary expenditures" until further notice.

The county also will furlough employees one day per week from June 1 to July 31, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said in a news release.

Employees taking part in the Work Share Program apparently will be eligible for state unemployment benefits and unemployment benefits from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Employees get the full $600 a week in federal benefits even if hours are reduced by only one day a week.

Union leaders are supporting Ingham County’s participation in the Work Share Program, according to the news release.

There are exceptions to the county's firing freeze, including workers needed to respond to the pandemic, public safety employees, grant-funded workers and certain special-revenue situations.

The chairman of the county board could grant exceptions to the hiring freeze if they are deemed necessary.

Commissioners did not discuss budget specifics in their meeting Tuesday, but the resolution notes the COVID-19 outbreak will "dramatically impact" county revenues in the short term and may have a long-term impact on county revenues and operations.

“The effect of COVID-19 on the County’s budget has yet to be fully realized,” Commissioner Thomas Morgan, a Lansing Democrat who chairs the finance committee, said in the news release.

“The County may not be able to rely on state revenue sharing next year and there will almost certainly be a decrease in revenue from property taxes. Families across our community are having to tighten their belts and do more with less, and we need to do the same if we hope to protect the vital County services that so many of our neighbors rely on.”

The state has been operating under a hiring freeze since the end of March.

The city of Lansing hopes to save $1.5 million by moving about 500 city employees to four-day work weeks beginning June 1 and continuing until July 25, according to a city news release.

Elected officials, police and fire employees and district court personnel won't participate in the work share.

As a result of the work share, city offices will be closed to the public on Fridays from June 1 through July 30, although essential operations such as police, fire and ambulance services will continue.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said services may be delayed. But the work share will ensure the services can continue, he said.

Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.