Furloughs will leave Westmoreland County with just half of its staff available Tuesday morning to maintain 52 miles of roads during the season’s first significant snowfall.

Public Works Director Dante DeCario said all four remaining employees will begin salting and clearing county roads as early as 3 a.m. and will continue to work throughout the day. The county cut in half its eight-person road crew in October amid ongoing financial struggles caused by the four-month state budget impasse.

Commissioners this fall furloughed 125 county workers, a move they said Monday produced disappointing results.

Early projections after the first month of the temporary job cuts revealed financial savings of $27,000 to $30,000, according to Commissioner Sean Kertes.

“The furloughs were designed to give us enough cash flow to keep operating, but it was shocking to see the numbers were that low,” Kertes said.

Commissioners initiated the furloughs as part of an austerity program to reduce spending during the state budget crisis. Department heads were directed to reduce county staff and were responsible for deciding which employees to remove from the payroll.

Kertes criticized that process, suggesting, in many cases, lower-salaried staff were furloughed, a situation that resulted in minimal savings to the county.

“The lesson learned here was leaving it up to department heads. We gave managers the authority to manage their departments,” Kertes said.

Kertes and Commissioner Doug Chew said, with a new state budget in place and funds once again flowing into county coffers, the process to recall furloughed employees could begin as early as next week.

“I completely agree the savings were not as substantial as we hoped for, so now we’re looking forward to bringing people back. I’m hoping a majority will be back by the end of the month,” Chew said.

Officials said the process to recall furloughed workers will be incremental and could take weeks.

The question of how to handle furloughed staff comes as commissioners continue to finalize the county’s 2026 budget. A preliminary spending plan unveiled last month included a nearly $30 million deficit.

Options such as service cuts and layoffs are being considered, commissioners said.

Commissioner Ted Kopas said savings from furloughed staff could have a more significant impact on county finances over a longer term.

“A dollar saved is a dollar earned. Given our financial condition before calling everyone back, there should be an evaluation of every person furloughed because we’ve been able to maintain operations with fewer people,” Kopas said. “Everything should be on the table.”

Furloughs impacted most county departments, including four staffers from the commissioners’ offices.

Public Works cut half of its road crew but cautioned that decision was made in early October when the possibility of a winter storm was months in the future.

“We have no concerns with our ability to maintain the roads,” DeCario said of his current staffing level.

The county has a full supply of salt, and its four staffers will be out on the roads early to ensure they are salted and cleared for the morning commute.

“If overtime is needed, we’ll do what we need to do,” DeCario said.

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