More than two dozen Dallas County IT employees laid off

More than two dozen Dallas County IT employees laid off

Dallas County has laid off more than two dozen people from its IT department. The changes come months after technology and fiscal year budget discussions. A total 49 positions were eliminated and 31 people actually lost their jobs Sept. 3.Laid off employees were told they could apply for 52 new and 40 reclassified technology positions.

Those let go were paid through Oct. 2, county administrators said.

While the eliminated positions save Dallas County about $8 million, the decision was based on changing technology, not cost savings, officials said.

Some of the new and reclassified jobs are Artificial Intelligence-based, but software development also contributed to the department restructuring, said continuous improvement committee chair Andy Sommerman.

County IT department changes come about two years after a consulting firm recommended hiring a chief information officer.

The Gardner report also suggested modernizing software and jobs.

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