CROWN POINT | The Lake County Council lifted its hiring freeze enough Tuesday to fill nine of 11 job vacancies this month, including one in the depleted court security officer force.

The council approved more than $50,000 in overtime pay and another $55,000 in part-time pay for township assessors to speed work necessary to ensure property tax bills aren't as late as in previous years.

The council postponed votes on requests to grant salary bonuses of between $200 and $10,000 for the Calumet Township assessor's office and county economic development employees.

Council President Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point, said the seven-member fiscal body is coming under increased pressure to loosen hiring and spending restrictions that have been in place for months as part of an austerity program designed to cut $15 million from this year's budget.

The council gave Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez permission to hire a court security officer but deferred a vote on letting the sheriff fill a second court security vacancy. It came one day after a public flap developed when security officers were briefly absent from their posts where they search visitors for weapons.

The council also voted to fill job openings created by the departure of three employees of the county prosecutor's office as well as jobs in building maintenance, the jail, the Calumet Township assessor's office, the Lake County Homeland Security/Emergency Management Agency and Lake Criminal Court.

James Premeske, a member of the Team Hammond tax activists, complained about the hirings.

"Doesn't a hiring freeze mean a hiring freeze?" Premeske asked.