Hunt County authorizes higher pay range to recruit GIS/9-1-1 addressing coordinator

Hunt County Commissioners Court authorized county staff on June 16 to offer up to $78,000 for the county's 9-1-1 addressing and GIS coordination position, citing expanded responsibilities connected to zoning updates and a forthcoming system migration.

County staff reported that four applicants applied, including an external candidate currently working in Lubbock who holds a bachelor's degree and is pursuing a master's in GIS at Texas A&M. Staff said the candidate already performs addressing and GIS responsibilities in her current role and could begin work in Greenville by the first of the month, as she is enrolled in online graduate coursework.

Meeting discussion framed the position as growing in scope because the county is updating zoning around Lake Tawakoni and expects increased mapping and address-management needs tied to new subdivisions and infrastructure. Staff said the budgeted salary for the role was roughly $72,050 (the amount shown in the current budget) but recommended flexibility to increase the offer to recruit a candidate with GIS expertise. A motion to authorize an offer up to $78,000 plus the county's vehicle allowance carried on a voice vote; the court noted staff may need a small budget adjustment to cover the difference.

County staff and commissioners also discussed whether the position should sit under Community Development and whether the job description should be expanded; no structural reorganization was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners said the hire would allow the county to ingest survey and plat data more efficiently, maintain zoning maps and support road and voting-precinct mapping tasks that county staff and outside counsel are conducting.

The court called for staff to finalize the hire within the authorized pay range and to return to the court if further budget adjustments are required.