After ten years of a steady decline, business at Ingham County's Animal Control is booming.

"Unfortunately with this economy we're being asked to do more by the community," Director Jamie McAloon Lampman said. "We're getting more calls for service, more people needing food for their pets."

But budget cuts and layoffs mean workers are already doing more with less.

"As of now we already have a number of calls left over from the afternoon shift to the night shift and we've reduced our hours," she said.

And now, they've been told they may have to make do with the personnel they have.

"I don't know how we could get much tighter," McAloon Lampman said. "We're already to the bone."

The Ingham County Commissioners are kicking around an idea... a hiring freeze on all county positions.

"We simply don't have as much revenue coming in as we do expenses," Ingham County Controller Matthew Myers said.

Myers said freezing positions could save between $200,000 - $400,000.

And for a county facing a $5.6 million deficit for next year, every little bit counts.

"Because we have such a significant shortfall for 2009, if we can make up some of that gap now, it would lessen the impact for next year," Myers said.

Commissioner Debbie Nolan said she knows departments are hurting.

"We're trying to do things now, to avoid layoffs in the future," Nolan said. "We'd hate to see more people lose their jobs."

All departments will just have to get more creative with how they do business.