COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Board of Commissioners formally approved a hiring freeze as well as a freeze on capital expenditures for the rest of 2020 on Tuesday.
The freeze does not include essential positions that must be filled and the Teen Share project that has been started.
The moves were recommended by County Administrator Bud Norman and they come as Branch County could see a reduction of over $315,000 in state revenue by the end of 2020.
That would drop the county’s fund balance from 19 percent to 15 percent.
The Stay Home, Stay Safe Executive Order which was issued by Governor Whitmer on March 23 shut down the entire state in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But it also is expected to have a big impact on the amount of money allocated to local governments from the state for the rest of this year and perhaps into 2021.
Branch County gets state revenue every two months.
