Technology services director outlines cost per-user impacts of proposed staffing cuts

Eric Dealey, Eaton County Director of Technology Services, briefed the board on how proposed budgetary staffing decisions would affect the county's IT budget.

Dealey described software subscriptions that are purchased per user (Office, antivirus, multi-factor authentication and training) and estimated roughly $800 per user in first-year subscription costs. Based on an illustrative 40-position count, Dealey estimated about $30,000 in first-year subscription savings if those positions were eliminated. He noted subscription contracts were mostly one-year and could be scaled down without long-term liability.

From a hardware perspective Dealey estimated an average per-employee replacement cost of about $2,800 (laptop, monitor, docking station, scanner). His capital improvement plan foresees about $100,000 annually for device replacement; a 40-position replacement scenario would approximate $112,000 in capital cost the first year. He also estimated roughly $750 per user per year to support secure remote-work capabilities (VPN licensing, possible cell phone provisioning), not applicable to every position.

Dealey warned that deeper cuts into IT budgets and staffing could expose the county to operational and security risk. He said Technology Services had already reduced its proposed 2025-26 operating requests by about 18% (~$250,000) and that further draconian trimming could endanger critical infrastructure replacements and security initiatives.

Commissioners asked about the current share of employees enabled for remote work; Dealey answered approximately 40'150%. Commissioners and staff discussed that these IT costs are largely central and that cuts to positions will not generate commensurate savings in capital or subscription lines in some cases.

No formal board action was taken on the Technology Services presentation; it was presented as information for the budget process.