Commissioners authorize evaluation of GIS staffing as county moves servers off Auburn systems

County GIS staff told the DeKalb County Commissioners that the city of Auburn will end shared-server hosting following a cyber incident, requiring the county to host and manage its own GIS enterprise database.

Presenters described a plan to create an entry-level GIS specialist position (to handle day-to-day tasks) and reclassify an existing GIS coordinator into an enterprise database administrator role. Staff said the islanding of servers will shift costs from Auburn to DeKalb and will require hardware, software and possible third-party assistance to split networks and maintain failover capacity.

Commissioners pressed staff for more precise cost estimates and for confirmation that physical server space and environmental controls are available. IT staff (Faiza) said an initial machine was up and running and that she is working with a third-party vendor to scope the split; she said some existing colocation costs would end while some services (Internet, loop/fiber) would remain.

The board voted 2–1 to allow staff and the job-classification subcommittee to draft the necessary position descriptions and move the proposal forward to the job-classification review (with funding to be set in 2027). Commissioners requested a cost comparison to show savings or additional expense before final authorization.

Staff will return with draft job descriptions, a cost estimate for hardware/software and a proposed timeline for moving GIS operations off shared Auburn servers.