City Council Thursday voted to freeze hiring in city government. The motion passed unanimously.

The freeze means that Butler will hire no one, “unless a need arises,” until the city’s financial situation stabilizes. The freeze was suggested at Tuesday’s forum meeting by councilman Michael Walter as a way to save money so the city doesn’t run out of cash before the end of the year.

After the council’s meeting to discuss finances on July 14, Walter estimated that the city could run out of money by mid-November.

The amendment of “unless a need arises” was added after Mayor Tom Donaldson and Butler Police Department Deputy Chief David Adam expressed concerns about the police department being understaffed. “I am in favor of stabilizing the city’s finances; I don’t disagree with you,” Donaldson said to Walter during discussion of the motion. “I think if we can (hire a police officer) before the end of the year, we need to.”

A complete report appears in Friday’s Butler Eagle.