GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- County government department heads are being asked to evaluate how many and which employees could be laid off temporarily in response to the COVID-19 emergency.

“We’re working on how to proceed with layoffs for people who are non-essential,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Martin Cousineau.

The chairman added that some of the county’s largest departments -- like the Sheriff’s Office and Health Department -- are not expected to be affected.

Other departments are supplying commissioners with a list of employees who can be laid and commissioners said they will use guidelines from the state and federal governments, which are providing additional funds for unemployment.

“We don’t want people to worry. We’re going to guarantee that we bring everybody back who is laid off,” Cousineau said Wednesday, April 8. “Tomorrow, we’re going to sit down with the union and talk to them about it (so that) it’s a win-win for everybody.”

Although county offices have been closed to the public since mid-March, some employees have continued to work in their offices in the weeks since while others have worked from home.

Counsineau declared a COVID-19 emergency in the county on March 19, and other commissioners later affirmed that declaration.

In their meeting Wednesday, commissioners also gave the board chairman the authority to sign documents on behalf of the board in emergency situations until May 6 because of the coronavirus emergency.

The county has about 1,100 employees and Cousineau said he isn’t expecting the layoffs to affect more than half of them.

“There’s still going to have to be a lot of people that have to work,” he said.

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