Cook County commissioners agreed during FY26 budget deliberations to fund a part-time technical IT position at a higher pay rate and up to 29 hours per week rather than purchase an annual software ticketing subscription.

Daryl, representing county IT, thanked the court for considering the request and said a technician would “really strengthen us, give us a little more speed in responding to things.” He proposed the county hire a technical part-time employee rather than an administrative part-timer and suggested the new position would make the $1,500 annual ticketing subscription unnecessary.

Why it matters: commissioners said improving IT response capacity will reduce downtime for county operations and speed response to software and hardware problems. The court discussed the 29-hour-per-week cap before benefits and confirmed that a technical part-time classification was preferred over a clerical hire.

Decision and next steps: the court directed staff to include the technical part-time position in the FY26 proposed budget and to remove the ticketing-system subscription from the draft budget if the hire is approved. IT staff will provide a job description and proposed pay band for final budget placement.