| By Big Radio News Staff |
As budget discussions start in Rock County, county officials are talking layoffs.
According to internal emails obtained by Big Radio, Rock County’s administration asks county departments to recommend possible staffing cuts for the 2025 county budget.
This comes after the county board’s staffing and finance committee recommended a tax levy increase capped at 2.3 percent. And it is as as county administration has been asked to prioritize a “cost-of-living” increase for county workers.
It’s at time when the county’s debt-service levy has grown. County projections show debt repayments topping $13 million a year for the next five years.
In an email sent to employees last week, a county Human Services official says every Rock County department head is being asked to recommend specific, full-time equivalent positions they would eliminate. The recommended staff cuts are due July 31 alongside full county department budget proposals.
The staffing and finance committee meets Thursday for a preliminary discussion of the county’s budget.
WCLO has reached out to County administration and a Human Services administrator for comment. The Human Services official acknowledged the emails they’d sent to staff and confirmed the county’s administration seeks staff cuts, but they declined to discuss the situation further.
