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Caldwell County commissioners approve hiring and reclassification freeze while budget set
Summary
The board adopted a resolution placing an immediate hiring and classification freeze to keep expenses predictable while the county finalizes the 2025 budget and tax rate; the resolution exempts several offices including the sheriff and social services.
At its February 2025 meeting, the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a temporary hiring and classification freeze intended to hold county personnel costs steady while staff finish budget work and the board sets a new tax rate.
The resolution, adopted immediately, directs that no new employees be appointed or hired, no new positions allocated, departments not be reorganized, and existing classification plans and pay ranges not be modified. The measure preserves merit and longevity increases. The resolution explicitly exempts the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, the register of deeds, the county board of elections, the public health department and the department of social services; the exemption language also bars reducing those entities' allocated positions.
Commissioners said the move is meant to provide predictability in advance of final budget adoption. The resolution cites North Carolina General Statute 153A-76 as authority for the board's ability to reorganize county government and set positions.
The motion to adopt carried without opposition.
Ending: The freeze is effective immediately and remains in effect until the board rescinds or replaces it. County managers and human-resources staff were ordered to implement the directive and to track any exceptions later presented to the board.
