Committee questions $285,000 saving as IT positions are regraded and reorganized

Sullivan County staff told the Human Resources Committee that a proposed regrading and restructuring of information-technology positions would eliminate three existing titles, create three new titles and produce an estimated net savings of roughly $285,000 in salary and benefits.

Committee members asked for greater transparency about how the savings were calculated and how the department would maintain services while reducing head count. Kat Scott asked for an explanation of the math and requested documentation. Staff responded that the county started with 20 IT positions and would finish with 17 after the changes and that the workload is already distributed among remaining staff.

A department representative said the office has struggled to recruit and retain IT staff, citing a vacancy rate that rose from roughly 25% to about 30% after a recent departure. Staff said some IT positions are hard to fill because private-sector wages for IT roles are higher than county salaries, and the regrading package includes two upgrades intended to improve retention and recruitment.

Committee members pressed for a clear accounting. A staff member offered to supply "an Excel spreadsheet with all the salaries and benefits so you can actually see broken down by the position," and staff agreed to deliver that spreadsheet before the full-board packet is prepared.

During public comment, a resident criticized the practice of leaving positions vacant and shifting budgeted salary dollars into other uses; the resident said, "You're not saving me anything. All you're doing is just moving it from one situation to another." The comment reflected concerns about transparency and fund balance but did not alter the committee’s vote.

The committee approved the IT regrading resolution by voice vote after the discussion and the commitment to provide a salary-and-benefits breakdown to the committee and to include it in the full-board materials.