Amador recently joined a growing number of other counties forced to make painful staff reductions to stay ahead of budget shortfalls, but it took a different path to get there.

During a budget review last month, when the state's projected shortfall was smaller than it is now and there was still some hope that the legislative impasse would soon end, County Administrative Officer Terri Daly briefed supervisors on the increasing likelihood that layoffs would be coming. At that time, county staff came up with a proposal similar to the county's early retirement incentive program, offering $5,000 to anyone who volunteered to be laid off. There was some skepticism around the County Administrative Building in Jackson that the idea would work, but nearly a dozen employees stepped forward late last month.

"I was surprised that 11 people took advantage of it," Daly said Friday. "I have to say it was actually kind of touching."

One road maintenance worker, she recalled, preferred to give up his job rather than risk letting two recent public works hires with little tenure get the axe.

In addition to receiving the bonus money, the employees who voluntarily sacrificed their jobs moved right to the county's recall list in case other positions opened. The layoffs went into effect Dec. 30. After 21 paid days, they become positioned to receive unemployment benefits.

No management or mid-management employees were among the voluntary layoffs, Daly said, nor were law enforcement employees. Aside from the road maintenance worker, dismissed workers included legal secretaries, a behavioral health worker, two financial assistants, an archives assistant, library assistant and a few part-time employees.

Daly said the county could expect to save $200,000 this year from the early exits and roughly $600,000 next year. Unfortunately, the county may need to cut 10 to 20 more positions, something Daly said would be done with a more targeted approach that could involve combining positions, so "we're not just cutting off an arm."

"And with a laser surgery approach, I believe we'll find 10 to 20," she added.

At the end of this month, Daly will be back before supervisors with revised budget and midyear update and revised update outlining a number of cost-cutting measures from which officials can choose. By then, she hopes to have a clearer picture of the state's fiscal situation and know whether the state plans to defer money to counties. A budget being passed in April with retroactive deferment measures, for instance, "could really hurt," Daly said.

Until then, the county will continue to plan conservatively. For instance, the day after Daly's budget update last month, the county's first wave of property taxes came in about even with last year. There was nothing alarming about the figures, Daly said, "and we didn't budget any increase."