Montgomery County IT Report Seeks New Hire, $120,000 in Added Cost

Montgomery County Board Meeting | June 9, 2026

Article Summary: An Information Services Growth Report presented to Montgomery County committees and reported to the full board June 9 documents sharp increases in cameras, network complexity and remote users since 2020, warns that half the county’s IT operational knowledge rests with one person, and asks for a new technical hire at an estimated total cost of $120,000.

Information Services Growth Report Key Points:

• Security cameras grew from 70 to 111 since 2020, a 58.6% increase; network VLANs grew from 14 to 46, a 228.6% increase.
• The report estimates 50% of the county’s IT operational knowledge is concentrated with a single individual.
• It seeks a technical professional at an estimated salary of $75,000 to $85,000, plus pay adjustments for existing staff, for a total estimated cost of $120,000.
• The Finance & Budget Committee asked Director Curt Watkins to begin searching for a candidate.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Board on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, heard from two committees about a report from Information Services Director Curt Watkins documenting how much the county’s technology footprint has grown since 2020 and asking for help running it.

Board Chairman Doug Donaldson, reporting for the Coordinating Committee, told the board the committee reviewed Watkins’ Montgomery County Information Services Growth Report describing workload changes since 2020. Report recommendations, which include adding a qualified tech professional, were referred to the Finance & Budget Committee.

Finance & Budget Committee Chairwoman Connie Beck said her committee reviewed and discussed the report along with the request for a new experienced employee as soon as possible. Beck said the committee asked Watkins to begin searching for a candidate, and that if one is available this fiscal year, a budget adjustment may be required.

No motion was recorded on the item at either committee’s report, and the board took no vote.

The report itself is included in the board packet. It covers 2020 through 2026 and quantifies growth across several categories. Security cameras rose from 70 to 111, a 58.6% increase, and video monitoring stations from 5 to 13, a 160% increase. Wireless access points grew from 15 to 32, a 113.3% increase. Network VLANs — segmented portions of the county’s network — grew from 14 to 46, a 228.6% increase. Remote active users rose from 5 to 20, a 300% increase. Managed Windows servers and PCs increased 20%.

On grants, the report counts 62 projects between 2020 and 2026, of which 38 were led by information services and 24 required IT involvement. The projects led by IT totaled $736,060 in grant funds, and four additional DCEO grant projects are being led by IT for the coming grant cycle.

On 911, the report shows server availability rising from one server before 2020 to four, described as 400% capacity, and supported agencies growing from two entities — the sheriff’s office and dispatch — to more than 22, including Christian County 911 backup.

The report also lists cybersecurity work: participation in election and 911 cyber-navigator programs, maintaining new cybersecurity insurance requirements, maintaining clean U.S. Department of Homeland Security scans of public-facing networks through cyber hygiene scans, and implementing two-factor authentication for on-premises and cloud-based systems.

Its central argument is about a single point of failure. A chart breaking down the information services manager’s current time allocation splits it evenly four ways — new infrastructure, administration, training a first assistant and training a second assistant. The report states that an estimated 50% of Montgomery County’s IT operational knowledge, spanning major infrastructure and life-safety emergency services, is concentrated entirely with a single individual, and calls that a knowledge gap creating an organizational vulnerability.

Under “Next Steps,” the report asks the county to hire a qualified technical professional at an industry-standard salary, estimated at $75,000 to $85,000, and to adjust compensation for existing personnel to align with competitive market rates. It puts the total estimated cost at $120,000.

The report acknowledges the ask is significant but argues it is directly proportional to the rapid expansion of the county’s technological footprint and would raise the county’s operational ceiling.

Information Services is one of three departments seeking additional staff in the FY2027 budget, alongside the Sheriff’s Office and Maintenance, Beck told the board.