COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew County Commissioners have taken steps to stabilize the Information Technology department in the short term by addressing salary concerns. Commissioners made it clear the measures are a stop-gap effort to keep county units of government operating while a permanent solution is determined.
At the Tuesday commissioners meeting, the board approved a $2,500 contract for 20 hours of support help with Sharp Business Systems, and a $9,800 contract to provide 144 hours of level one user support. Commissioners are also working with Davis Strategies to find solutions for higher level issues and work in the virtual environment.
In order to address employee turnover, the IT director’s salary has been increased from $64,000 in 2016 to $94,000 for 2017. State and local governments pay the lowest IT salaries, followed by the federal government and the private sector.
The commissioners are far from making a final decision on what the IT department will look like in the long-term. Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz says the board is looking at a variety of options. Some municipalities have a department that is completely in-house while others have a smaller staff augmented by a private consultant.