County Administrator Yoon Kim briefed the Collin County Commissioners Court on the potential effects of the federal government shutdown on employees paid through federal grants, saying the county has not yet received any formal pause notices.

"As of today, we have not received any grant pause notices. And so as I stand here today, right now, all of our... federal grant funded employees are still actively working," Kim said, noting that 38 county positions are currently supported by federal awards.

Kim told commissioners that some programs have confirmed funding into the coming months: the state WIC office indicated WIC funding will continue through November and the county auditor reported that UASI grants for the fusion center will continue through December. But Kim said staff had already notified affected employees on Oct. 9 that a pause or termination could lead to furloughs or layoffs.

Human Resources prepared options for commissioners if grants are paused or terminated, Kim said. "The recommendation of admin staff is going to be to furlough, but we have not reached that point yet because we have not received any grant pause notices," he said.

The court asked that any grant pause notice be brought back to the public meeting agenda for transparency. Commissioner comments reflected concern for keeping county services intact and the practical limits of shifting positions into the general fund: commissioners noted that moving grant-funded roles into the budget can displace other priorities because the county also seeks to use grant opportunities to expand services.

No formal action was taken; staff said they will notify the court and place any pause notice on a future agenda for public discussion.