The Hays County Commissioners Court issued an immediate hiring freeze on County jobs during its Tuesday meeting; however, persons who have already been made an offer of employment as of March 8 can be hired. The freeze also extends to internal promotions and transfers within and between departments. In order to fill a vacant position during the freeze, the Court is asking that department heads and elected officials come before the Court and explain the need for the position. Elected officials are not bound by the Court’s request, but are being asked to comply.

“While our budgets and positions are set for each year in the fall, we as a Court want to take this opportunity to prioritize our costs and our departmental needs for the upcoming budget year,” County Judge Bert Cobb, M.D. said. “Although Hays County has fared better than some others due to our general conservative approach to finances, we’re aware that the overall economic situation has improved only minimally and we want to prepare ourselves for another tight budget year. By having these requests come before the Court we’ll have a better understanding of the County’s critical personnel needs.”

The current County fiscal year ends September 30, and planning for the 2012 budget typically begins by late spring or early summer prior to the October 1 start of the next fiscal year.