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Lake County Council adds and adopts ordinance imposing temporary county hiring freeze through Sept. 30, 2026
Summary
The council added an ordinance to the agenda and adopted a hiring freeze limiting new county hires through Sept. 30, 2026, with an internal appeal process and exclusions for certain classifications; the measure follows earlier budget reductions intended to save about $1 million.
The Lake County Council on Sept. 4 voted to add an ordinance to the meeting agenda and approved the measure on second reading to restrict hiring of new county employees until Sept. 30, 2026.
Councilman Bilski moved to add the ordinance to the agenda; the motion was seconded and the council voted to include the item. During discussion the sponsor said the hiring limit was a follow-up to budget deliberations and intended to realize approximately $1,000,000 in personnel savings by eliminating selected vacant positions. “We’ve had to eliminate some vacated positions in order to save approximately $1,000,000 in the budget,” a sponsoring council member said during the meeting.
The ordinance, as described on the floor, includes exclusions for positions covered by collective bargaining agreements (referred to in the meeting as “CVAs”) and for individuals who already have been offered county positions. The ordinance also establishes an appeal process: departments may appear before the council to request permission to refill specific positions if they wish to do so.
Council members debated process and timing; the sponsor and other members said the measure was intended to be a temporary control on hiring while the council finalizes budget choices. The council voted to suspend rules and approve the ordinance on second reading; roll-call votes recorded the measure as approved by the members present (motion passed with five members voting in favor and two absent).
The hire restriction takes effect immediately upon adoption and is written to expire on Sept. 30, 2026, unless the council amends or extends it. County staff and departments seeking to refill positions must follow the appeal path described in the ordinance text and secure council approval for exemptions.
