Though the state government shutdown is now officially over, Freeborn County officials said Wednesday there are still many questions that remain about how the budgets signed in by the governor will impact area residents.

Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever said according to a few of his department heads, preliminary estimates show that Freeborn County is anticipated to see cuts of about $610,000 — totaling up all cuts — including those to market value tax credits, the Department of Human Services and county program aid.

Kluever said the majority of the cuts appear to be to market value credits.

“If these numbers hold fairly through, it’s close to what we were anticipating,” he noted.

He said he is not necessarily relieved that a budget was approved, but rather he looks at it as just the first step out of a multi-step process.

“If nothing else we’re done with step one and on to step two,” Kluever said. “The commissioners will next have choices to make between now and December that are going to be tough.”

He said in the meantime during the next few days, county officials will continue to gather information about what programs have been cut versus what have not and measure that between the positions that have had to be laid off or who are on voluntary leave.

Then, they will began the recall process to bring back the 11 county employees who were laid off during the shutdown.

“The possibility that they all come back is more likely than not,” Kluever said.

The employees, all in the county’s Human Services Department were laid off at the end of the day Friday because the services they covered were not deemed essential under the shutdown.

Idled state workers were anticipated to go back to work today, re-opening state parks, restarting highway construction projects and turning the state lottery back on.

They’ll also get back to issuing driver’s licenses and permits for alcohol sales, and get dozens of other government services going again.

Kluever said the commissioners will soon begin meeting in workshops to discuss plans for the 2012 budget.