Sullivan County information-technology staff reported recent departures and difficulty filling key positions amid higher private-sector and state pay offers, and described ongoing efforts to build county capability through cybersecurity exercises and participation in a statewide AI working group.

An IT staff member identified as Ken said a senior network engineer left two weeks after last month’s meeting for a lower-grade title with the New York State Board of Elections in Albany; Ken said the starting salary for the state role was about $86,000 with a guaranteed step increase to about $120,000, while the county salary for the position on the salary schedule was “78 and change.” “We're losing a darn good individual, and he's doing what's best for him,” Ken said, adding that training and experience gained in county service are often followed by outside offers that are difficult for the county to match.

Ken also described difficulty filling an open director of application development and support position that had been on the county salary schedule since March. He said several qualified candidates recently expressed interest but some withdrew after accepting higher-paying private-sector roles; one candidate accepted a private-sector offer with a $130,000 starting salary, a remote-work option and international travel opportunities.

To address capabilities and risk, Ken said three county IT staff were participating in a cybersecurity tabletop exercise in Goshen and that county staff have been invited to a New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) artificial-intelligence summit and a follow-up AI working group. Ken said the working group's goal is to produce a “play store” of AI applications counties can adopt and that the county will study and benchmark potential AI uses.

Why it matters: County officials said turnover and recruitment challenges raise short-term operational risk for IT services and could affect project timelines for digitization or billing improvements. Staff said the AI work and cybersecurity observations aim to build practices the county can implement locally, but did not present specific procurement actions at this meeting.

No formal votes or budget approvals tied directly to recruitment or the AI initiative were recorded at the meeting. IT staff asked the committee to note staffing pressures as the tentative budget is finalized.