ST. CLOUD - Stearns County is preparing to send layoff notices to employees, due to the federal government shutdown.

The Board of Commissioners today (Tuesday) approved sending out the layoff notices.  Programs in the Human Services Department like Women, Infants and Children - or WIC, will be affected if the shutdown continues.

How many employees will be affected isn't known yet.

Letters will go out later this week.

The county's union contract states all letters give a 30-day notice, which means no layoffs will happen unless the government shutdown ends in the next month.

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