Southern Illinois News

The Union County Board of Commissioners enacted a plan to furlough staffers in May in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Gazette-Democrat, the plan required roughly half of all staffers to be furloughed for the first two weeks of May, with the other half furloughed  once the first group returns to work.

Furloughed employees received health coverage and benefits and were eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. County officials say furloughing 33 employees for two weeks each saved roughly $40,000.

“Our county administrator and HR director have worked very hard to put together a plan that will protect the safety of our employees and ensure the employees will not be financially burdened while also trying to offset revenue losses to the fullest extent possible,” board of commissioners chairman Max Miller told the Gazette-Democrat.

County administrator Angie Johnson said it’s unclear at this point how much revenue will be lost from the coronavirus shutdown.

“With payments from the state running three months behind, we haven’t even seen the financial impact of this pandemic yet,” she said. “However, we know our budgeted revenues are going to be down and feel it is better to take a proactive stance now rather than be forced to be reactive months from now.”