The tension of potential budget struggles showed during the Tuesday Board of Commissioners meeting when questions arose of whether a part-time web content analyst position could become full-time.

The description of the position was up for approval before the BOC today.

Commissioner JaNice Van Ness questioned how approval of the position description would not affect the budget or head count.

Finance Director Roselyn Miller said the web analyst position had been budgeted for 20 hours along with a part time GIS (Geographical Information Systems) analyst position of 20 hours in the current budget but the positions had not been officially filled.

MIS Director Jim Howell explained, after the meeting, the positions were not officially filled because they found two existing county employees who were interested in learning and picking up tasks of the GIS analyst and web content analyst on top of their current duties.

The funding for the GIS analyst position was instead used to help pay interns who helped set up the county's 220 new work stations and computers, said Howell. The MIS department handles the county's IT and computing needs.

Miller said for 2011, approval of the job description wouldn't change the budget, but if the board approved the position as a full time position in 2012, that would change the budgeted amount.

Van Ness said, "In the past, we have outsourced some website design and content, and that hasn’t always been the best. I guess I’m surprised we’re moving towards a position like this when in 2012 we know we’re going to have some budget issues."

Howell said whether or not to outsource depended on what the county wanted the website to do. "You can’t provide your services and update your website without having someone to manage that for you - keeping the calendars up, facilities information," he said.

Van Ness said, "For a website, I think our website is good. I think it provides information to the public. I think it could be a little bit better. I just have a hard time understanding how we’re going to approve a position above and beyond right now."

Commissioner Oz Nesbitt chided county staff for not having their "act together in a clear and concise way."

"Make certain, when you have something that you think is going to be a benefit – and I think this is a major benefit fro our PR department and us moving forward in a technology sense – you’ve got to make sure you elaborate and communicate so when you come before the Board of Commissioners looking as if your story is not together."

"We are zooming in on this budget," he said. To Van Ness and Chairman Richard Oden, he said, "Go ahead and start your process of looking into where we can save and shave. We’ve got to make sure we keep this county in the right posture of keeping the lights on."

 The position description was deferred until the next BOC meeting on July 26.