Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Approves Hiring Freeze
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a hiring freeze and "other cost-cutting measures" to "soften the impact" of expected budget cuts next year, the Sacramento Bee reports (Davila, Sacramento Bee, 12/12). Under the plan, proposed by county officials, county departments could no longer spend funds saved from vacant positions on equipment or temporary employees. The proposal also would require county departments to "absorb" additional costs "needed to respond to bioterrorism threats" and reduce new equipment purchases, employee travel and outside service vendors. According to County Executive Terry Schutten, the move is expected to save the county at least $1 million to $2 million (California Healthline, 12/11). The hiring freeze begins immediately and will remain in effect until Oct. 1, 2002. Supervisors added exemptions for law enforcement, public health, detention facilities, sheriff's emergency operators, public defenders, the county mental hospital and county departments "with only a few employees." The board also ordered Schutten to establish policies for other exceptions on a "case-by-case" basis (Sacramento Bee, 12/12).
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