Memorandum
Date: June 23, 2026
To: Honorable Brad Rasmussen, Chair, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Susan Parker, County Administrative Officer
Subject: Consideration of (a) Declaring an Informal Hiring Freeze and Directing Staff to Implement an Informal Hiring Freeze for All General Fund Positions Effective July 1, 2026; and (b) Authorizing the County Administrative Officer to approve Hiring Freeze Waiver Requests Where Critical to Continuity of County Operations or Otherwise in the Overwhelming County Interest
Executive Summary:
Pursuant to your Board's discussion during Budget Hearings of Monday, June 15, through, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Administrative Office staff continue to evaluate options to reduce General Fund expenditures while preserving essential functions during these uncertain and difficult financial times.
On Monday, June 15, 2026, I indicated staff would return with options for a Hiring Freeze. Your Board's deliberations, and Department Head input, demonstrated the difficulty of allowing broad-based discretion under circumstances such as these; truly, there are a range of conditions wherein adding positions and new spending can seem well justified, and it is also essential that we appropriately address the significance of the conditions we are facing.
Therefore, effective July 1, 2026, and pursuant to County of Lake Personnel Rule 502, I recommend your Board authorize an Informal Hiring Freeze on recruitments for all General Fund permanent and Extra Help positions.
Pursuant to County of Lake Personnel Rule 502, staff recommends your Board authorize the County Administrative Officer to approve Hiring Freeze Waivers, in consultation with fiscal and Human Resources staff. For situations where it is critical to the continuity of County operations or similarly in the County's overwhelming interest that a position is filled (e.g.: continuing legally mandated or mission critical services; public health and safety or emergency respon...
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