Scott resigns as IT director

After less than six months on the job, Montgomery County IT Director, Jim Scott, turned in his resignation to supervisor at a special May 10 meeting.
Members of the board approved his resignation, effective May 20. Scott started in the position on Dec. 13, 2021, and said the decision to leave the position was based on an opportunity to move closer to home.
“I received an offer of a job that took me closer to home, back to the Des Moines area. It also gave me the opportunity to do something I've done before. It's a heavy-duty truck dealership that I'm going to work for, and I worked for another dealership before, so this is an opportunity to go back to something that I know and excelled at,” Scott explained.
Even though Scott is excited about the opportunity, he said the decision to leave his current position was not easy, and there are a number of things he’ll miss.
“Montgomery County has, by far, given me one of the best jobs I've ever had. Everyone has been so friendly. I've made many friends here professionally, and I have several department heads that I truly call my friend,” explained Scott. “Also, I come from a law enforcement background, and it was a great opportunity for me to work with the sheriff's office, the police department, and the fire department, and see the back end. I've done law enforcement from the officer’s side of things, and now I've done it from the IT side of things, which was very enlightening, but I'd say this was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”
At the special meeting, the supervisors made plans to advertise for the position through newspapers. The prior posting listed the salary starting at $80,000. Scott said it was important to list a salary, and not make it too low.
“If it's too low, you'll get people who feel it isn't even worth their time, whereas if you put a starting salary, and include verbiage that there’s a chance to increase due to experience and knowledge, that would be the way to go,” Scott advised. “In all honesty, from a personal standpoint, if the starting salary had been lower than $80,000, it probably wouldn't have been on my radar,” Scott commented.
Scott also suggested highlighting the fact that the IT position also served the county law enforcement agencies, and said he visited the county's website frequently while making a decision to accept the position.
The supervisors were in agreement to leave the salary at $80,000, and noted that the salary was flexible based on experience.
Scott also suggested that the county offer relocation expenses for potential candidates located outside Montgomery County.
“That was a big thing for me, and it’s beneficial to anyone who might consider the position who lives away from Montgomery County. Having that benefit allowed me to quickly establish residence here,” Scott said.
County Auditor Stephanie Burke felt relocation expenses would be a good benefit to offer, contingent on the new employee being on the job for at least six months.
Another option, Scott suggested, was to contact area schools with IT programs to let graduating seniors know the position was available, as they may not be aware before moving out of the county. Supervisors Chair Mark Peterson confirmed Southwestern Community College had an IT program for students, and would be worth contacting.
Scott said it would also benefit the supervisors to contact the schools as they would have an alumni list of students that had graduated with IT experience and may was to return to the county.
“I think a key is going to be to fill the position with someone from the area, or someone who has left, and is wanting to return to the county, and using the schools can get that information out to people who lived in this area but have moved away. In the case of SWCC, I’d suggest contacting their graduate services people,” advised Scott.
Burke said the application process would be open until the position was filled, and that after updating the job posting, she would have the ad reviewed by the Iowa Counties Information Technology organization.