By admin 
GRAND FORKS – The Grand Forks County Commission approved a hiring freeze for 2025 during its meeting Tuesday.
The commission approved, in a 3-2 vote, instituting the freeze, with Commissioners Cynthia Pic and Bob Rost dissenting. Commissioner Terry Bjerke, who led the effort, said the freeze doesn’t mean the county is not going to stop hiring but that county department heads will have to come before the commission to explain why an open position should be filled, even if it’s within a department’s approved budget. The change doesn’t affect part-time, intern or human service zone positions and positions already in the midst of the hiring process.
“I am not going to vote to raise taxes, so then there’s only one solution. We’ve got to cut spending,” Bjerke said. “I am going to be adamant about aggressively cutting spending everywhere I possibly can.”
Bjerke believes the county is on an untenable path and that things need to change. When the commission passed the 2025 budget in September, County Auditor Debbie Nelson told commissioners that while they were able to buy down the property tax levy with cash reserves,
it would be inadvisable to use that strategy in 2026, likely meaning a higher levy increase.
Pic asked why all these hiring decisions need to come before the commission. The commission approves the budget and if a position required a budget amendment, it would go through the commission regardless.
“Are you making an assumption then that the county managers aren’t doing their job and they’re letting people work just because?” Pic asked Bjerke.
“I’m saying as an elected official who was hired to change, I’m changing,” Bjerke responded. “I don’t know how many times I can say business as usual is over.”
Commissioner Mark Rustad said the commission having to approve all hiring decisions is fine, especially given the ability to have special meetings.
“I don’t see any harm having new positions or old positions come in front of the board,” Rustad said.
The change does affect 10 budgeted positions for the Grand Forks County Correctional Center that are budgeted to start in the middle of 2025. Rost had concerns about potentially leaving the facility short just to save money, but Bjerke said that is still months away.
The commission also approved changing the county’s remote and hybrid employee policy and making the positions of planning and zoning director, two human resource positions, two administrative positions and emergency manager to come back to work at the county office building. That came on a 3-2 vote, with Pic and Rost dissenting.
Bjerke, making the motion, said “I think you need to be where you work and you need to be based there so people can deal with you at that location.”
Many county employees work in person and have the option to work hybrid or remote for medical and weather reasons. The change doesn’t affect those parts of the county’s remote working policy, but, according to Bjerke, it would mean county managers are in person at the county office building.
In other news, the commission:
Voigt covers government in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.