By LISA MACNEIL
[email protected]
With some hesitation, the Board of County Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve an Interlocal Agreement to eliminate the county’s IT (Information Technology) department, and move control of IT from the County Administrator’s office to the Clerk of Court / Comptroller’s Office.
The plan is expected to save the county approximately $300,000 per year after the first year, according to County Administrator Jeff Rogers. The reduced savings in the first year is attributed to paying out benefits and accrued time.
Rogers opened the discussion by commending the county’s IT department for keeping their systems safe and secure and generally doing a good job.
He went on to say that it is his job to recognize duplication in services that taxpayers are paying for. In an effort to streamline the structure of the county government staff and reduce expenses, Rogers unveiled an interlocal agreement which will centralize the IT department under the Clerk of Court / Comptroller’s Office. Current IT staff not in that department will need to apply for available positions.
As members of a Union, employees also have the option to apply for more senior positions outside their department that fits their skillset.
The agreement does not include employees of Central GIS, Utilities GIS, Addressing and Line Programming.
