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Kings County board approves hiring freeze as budget pressures mount
Summary
County CEO recommended a hiring freeze to protect long-term finances; supervisors unanimously emphasized exceptions for public safety and veteran services and asked administration to return clear guidance to preserve critical staffing.
Kiria Martinez, Kings County chief executive officer, asked the board on May 19 to authorize an immediate hiring freeze with exceptions allowed only by the county administrative officer as part of preparations for the FY 2026–27 recommended budget.
Martinez said the county faces ‘‘significant fiscal challenges requiring immediate corrective action’’ because one-time federal funds are ending and personnel costs are rising; staff anticipates presenting the recommended budget on June 23. "We are projected to enter into some lean fiscal years that will require financial planning and expenditure controls," Martinez said.
The recommendation prompted detailed questions from supervisors about how the freeze would affect public safety and essential services. Kings County Sheriff Dave Putnam told the board that law enforcement needs discretion: recruiting and background checks take months, and officers often leave on short notice if neighboring agencies raise pay. "As long as we can work together and there is discretion, I think we'll be right now," Putnam said, urging flexibility for police staffing.
Supervisors emphasized they did not want the policy to force emergency services to ‘‘beg, borrow and steal’’ for basic staffing. Several members asked that exceptions explicitly cover the sheriff, fire department and veteran services, and sought written procedures for how departments should request exceptions from the CAO. One supervisor recommended treating critical public safety hires differently when reviewing requests for approval.
The board moved and seconded the resolution to enact the freeze as presented, and on roll call the motion passed. County staff will return with written exception criteria, procedures for departments to request waivers and recommended language for how the freeze will appear in the FY 2026–27 budget material.
The board’s action is procedural and does not itself cut specific positions; it directs staff and establishes a countywide hiring-control framework while the budget is finalized.
