Public safety committee tables plan to convert records-clerk vacancy into IT engineering post

Germantown — The Public Safety Committee on March 16 tabled a proposal to convert an open records clerk position into an IT engineering role, deferring any hiring until staff can produce detailed cost offsets, a refined job description and information from an upcoming managed-service provider request for proposals.

The police chief presented the plan, saying recurring problems with the village’s contracted IT vendor leave department staff troubleshooting basic issues and that reusing funds currently paid to the vendor could offset a new hire. “My captain is spending about two to three hours a day working on maintenance of equipment, computers … anything to do with technology,” the chief said, arguing the position would let sworn staff focus on core duties.

Trustees questioned whether the post should be dedicated primarily to the police department or be a village-level IT role shared across departments. Trustee Peaper told colleagues an internal systems specialist already assists with vendor coordination but that a dedicated staff person could reduce expensive hourly vendor charges and provide faster tier-one support. Several trustees said they wanted the village administrator and the results of a new managed-services RFP in place before any hire.

Committee members also sought clearer budget numbers. The chief provided annual vendor-hours and expense breakdowns — 973 billed hours in 2025 across village services, of which 331 were for the police department — and cited an approximate vendor spend of roughly $109,000 in 2025 (infrastructure and service-desk components). Trustees asked staff to supply exact monthly and departmental cost figures for review at the next meeting.

After debate, a motion to convert and fill the records clerk vacancy as an IT engineering position was withdrawn. A substitute motion to table the proposal until the next public safety meeting — so the chief can gather additional financial figures and a refined job description — passed by voice vote.

The committee’s action preserves the vacancy for now and directs staff to return with more complete cost and hiring information before any personnel change is approved.