CENTREVILLE – By a 3-2 vote, the St. Joseph County Commission approved lifting the hiring freeze so a new Deputy Clerk could be hired.

During Tuesday's meeting, the Commission discussed the matter, which was presented during last week's Executive Meeting. St. Joseph County District Court Administrator and Magistrate Tabitha Wedge brought the request to the Commission, saying this would be the third position they would need filled to help with the workload the Courts are facing.

Tuesday, Commissioner Dan Czajkowski asked County Administrator Teresa Doehring to share how the hiring freeze practice started. County Administrator Teresa Doehring says the hiring freeze was enacted several years ago to help with some serious budget concerns. It also helps the Commission from just automatically approving a new position, but gives them time to dig in and see if they can find another way to handle the situation. This position was in the budget for 2021.

Czajkowski says he believes Wedge that the position is needed. Czajkowski says he believes Wedge that the position is needed. But he says the Commission has a greater responsibility than to just one department but to all the departments in the County, and they get several requests every month for assistance.

In separate business, the Commission approved lifting another hiring freeze request so the Sheriff's Department could hire an Administrative Secretary. Their long time secretary recently retired.