Lawrence County approves two interim IT roles while director is on medical leave

The Lawrence County Salary Board unanimously adopted Resolution 25 on June 5 to create two temporary positions in the county’s Information Technology department while the full-time IT director remains on medical leave.

The proposal, presented by the county administrator, asked the board to approve an interim director of operations at a base salary of $50,000 and an interim director of program at a base salary of $22,859. The administrator said the roles are temporary and “will be eliminated upon the return of the information technology director.” He described the appointments as necessary to authorize daily purchases, manage payroll duties and keep core IT services operating.

Controller pressify said the change was warranted because the department’s reduced staff had strained operations. “This is a critical thing that’s happened to shut down,” he said, and praised the two staff members identified as part of the interim plan.

A board member moved for adoption, another seconded, and a roll-call vote recorded unanimous approval: Controller pressify — yes; Commissioner Sonado — yes; Commissioner Kennedy — yes; Commissioner Vogler — yes. The motion carried and the board directed staff to implement the resolution.

Human resources will process the appointments after the county receives the signed resolution. The resolution states the interim posts are temporary and tied to the director’s medical leave; no specific return date for the director was given in the meeting.

The meeting adjourned after two agenda items were completed.