Carroll County authorizes advertising to hire additional IT staff to address workload and cybersecurity needs

Carroll County supervisors authorized the county IT director to advertise for an additional IT position after discussing workload, cybersecurity needs and staffing resilience.

IT staff (Dalton) described sustained high demand for IT support across departments, routine after‑hours updates, and responsibilities for systems that operate 24/7 such as the jail. Dalton said the department handles urgent tickets, coordinates with the sheriff’s office, and responded to a cybersecurity incident the prior January. Supervisors expressed support for adding staff to reduce on‑call burdens and improve coverage; several asked that the new hire be trained to cover critical duties when primary staff are unavailable.

Board members discussed whether to hire a contractor versus a county employee, scheduling options for overlap or staggered shifts, reimbursement arrangements when IT staff provide services for neighboring counties, and the need to amend the current year budget to include the hire if the position starts mid‑year. A motion to authorize advertising for the additional IT position passed by voice vote; the board asked staff to return with recommended job description, proposed salary/fringe figures and a timeline for hiring and onboarding before approving a final hire.

Supervisors emphasized cybersecurity and continuity of services as factors supporting the hire, and asked that the county’s financial interests be protected if staff time is billed to other jurisdictions.