Nora Mishanec is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media 31 employees of Columbia County have been approved to take one or two months off this summer as part of the county administration’s voluntary full furlough program. The program is estimated to save the county $81,000. Employees approved for voluntary summer furloughs are exempt from the county’s mandatory 13-day furlough initiative, which went into effect this week and is projected to save the county $1.5 million. The county was prudent to act early to reduce expenses, Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell said. “If we had waited until August or September to implement strategies we would have limited our options and we would have been faced with layoffs,” he said. County officials worked with the United Public Service Employees Union, which represents about 550 county workers, to negotiate the terms of the furloughs. Corrections officers, who are represented by the state Law Enforcement Officers Union, AFSCME Council 82, are also part of the county’s plan to reduce costs. Beginning in June, corrections officers are subject to a six-day furlough. More than 40 corrections officers and command staff at the Columbia County Jail, including Capt. Brian Gardner will have a mandatory day off with no pay, one day out of every month until November. The measure is expected to save the county $65,000. In addition to furloughs, county officials also implemented a hiring freeze on non-essential positions, reduced spending and halted infrastructure projects, which Murell called “planning for the worst-case scenario.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.