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County technology costs rise; TSD seeks modest staff expansion and telecom migration
Summary
The county’s Technology Services Department requested a small increase in part‑time staffing and warned of broad software price increases, along with planned migration of phone service to a hosted AT&T solution.
The Technology Services Department (TSD) told the County Council on Aug. 26 that rising subscription software costs and a backlog of equipment reach replacement age are driving the department’s 2026 request.
TSD Director Greg Holm said 2025 was essentially a static budget year for TSD compared with 2024, but that the upcoming budget must account for software licensing shifts and equipment refreshes. “Over the last couple of years during COVID, there wasn't a PC refresh going because they weren't able to buy computers,” Holm said, adding that a subset of machines is now three years old and will move into repair and replacement cycles.
Holm asked councilors to approve a modest increase in part‑time staff pay and headcount: the department currently employs three part‑time technicians and seeks to add one vacancy plus one new part‑time position to bring the planned headcount to five. Holm said raising the part‑time wage from $17 to $18 per hour and hiring an extra part‑time person would help cover meeting support and reduce ad‑hoc coverage by senior staff.
The department also proposed a $30,000 reduction in telephone maintenance this year tied to a planned migration from existing copper lines to an AT&T hosted voice service, but Holm cautioned that any transition will include onboarding and device costs even as recurring monthly costs fall.
TSD warned the council that many vendors have shifted from perpetual licensing to subscription models and that enterprise agreements have risen in cost. Holm said the county is pursuing state contract options and consolidations where possible to reduce costs, but acknowledged continued pressure on the software line.
Why it matters: Software subscriptions and communications services are recurring county costs that affect nearly every department. TSD’s staffing and licensing decisions shape the county’s ability to maintain operations, support telework and keep systems secure.
What’s next: TSD will work with the auditor and council to refine software and telecom transition costs; the council approved the department’s budget opening and will consider additional detail in subsequent sessions.
