Story County IT director asks board to consider hiring cybersecurity analyst above midpoint due to candidate credentials

At the April 28 meeting, Story County IT Director Colin Gerst asked the Board of Supervisors to consider allowing a new cybersecurity analyst to start above the county's midpoint pay step because of the candidate's advanced credentials.

Gerst told the board he converted a customer support role to a cybersecurity analyst position and received roughly 90 applicants for the posting. He described his preferred candidate as holding a master's degree in computer science, multiple security certifications including CISSP, and about 15 years of IT experience. “I feel like this applicant would be very beneficial,” Gerst said, arguing the candidate’s experience in building a cybersecurity role from scratch justified a higher starting step.

Budget context and board concerns: The auditor’s office told the board the FY27 budget includes roughly $90,500 for this new position at starting pay. Board members noted that moving a hire to midpoint would add roughly $16,000 annually and that the J-step requested by staff would be roughly $22,000 higher than starting pay, figures the auditor identified as not budgeted. Supervisors raised equity concerns about hiring above the established salary schedule and recommended that staff first discuss cost-of-living adjustments and timing with the candidate and explore negotiation before the board approves an exception.

Outcome: The board did not vote on an exception. Members asked IT staff to discuss the candidate’s expectations and the effect of the upcoming 3% FY27 cost-of-living increase before returning with a recommendation. The matter remained a staff follow-up rather than a formal board action at the meeting.