County repeals week-old hiring freeze

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By JEAN ORTIZ / Lincoln Journal Star

After a heated exchange with department heads and elected officials, Lancaster County commissioners unanimously repealed the hiring freeze they put in place last week.

But they say they will continue to approach the budget process with a critical eye.`

Department heads and elected officials — including Sheriff Terry Wagner, Community Mental Health Center Director Dean Settle and County Engineer Don Thomas — packed the commissioners’ hearing room Thursday to object to last week’s decision.

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The board voted 3-2 last week — Commissioner Ray Stevens and Chairman Bob Workman were opposed — to impose the freeze after a preliminary review of next year’s budget and its projected deficit of nearly $3.9 million.

The freeze came with the stipulation the board could approve hiring for critical positions.

The intent of the hiring freeze was misunderstood, Commissioner Larry Hudkins said Thursday.

“I’m disappointed that personnel took this as a plain hiring freeze,” he said as laughter filled the room.

Hudkins argued the board had intended to restrict the number of new, additional positions. The freeze was not intended to halt all hiring, including for existing positions.

“With all due respect, the memo that came from Chairman Workman said a total hiring freeze,” Settle said.

Commissioner Deb Schorr attempted to impose a newly worded freeze targeting new, additional positions.

It failed after officials, including Chief Deputy County Treasurer Terry Adams, argued the board already has authority to approve or deny requests for new positions through its budget process.

Budget hearings got under way Thursday — on track to adopting a new budget in August — and commissioners said they want to use the process to find ideas about where to cut.

They asked officials to look at cutting 5 percent of their proposals for next year, which all acknowledged could prove difficult, if not impossible.

“All of us in this room can stop the growth of government, and it starts with policymakers,” Settle said.

The county is especially feeling the budget crunch this year with expectations of little or no property valuation increase. Increases in valuation can help keep down increases in the county’s tax rate.

County leaders also have a new jail to finance.

County Engineer Thomas called the decision for a freeze stupid. He also believed it to be illegal because it was not on the meeting agenda. The board had scheduled only a budget discussion.

Thomas hadn’t planned to add jobs in his department, he said, but the handling of the matter, including putting blame on personnel officials, was frustrating.

“This is a group of people that micromanages everybody and everything, and they don’t know what the hell they’re doing,” he said.

Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com.