URBANA — The Champaign County Board is considering transferring the information technology (IT) functions of the County Clerk and Recorder’s Office to the county’s central IT department. Discussions on the proposal are expected to begin after the municipal election set for April 6, 2027, according to board member Elly Hanauer-Friedman, who chairs the finance committee.
“From everything that I have read and folks that I talked to, it’s best practice,” Hanauer-Friedman said. She emphasized the importance of supporting the technology that underpins the county’s elections, highlighting concerns about redundancy in staffing. “If there’s only one IT person in an office and they get hit by a bus right before the election, we want to make sure that there are other staff who are trained and ready to step in.”
During a recent budget discussion, County Clerk and Recorder Aaron Ammons expressed his support for future talks and mentioned that he has been in discussions with several county board members about the matter. He stated, “Part of my concern was that something of this magnitude to be discussed and to be talked about … but not to include me at all, I thought that was not the appropriate way to proceed.” Ammons underscored that the IT positions are critical for conducting elections.
The clerk’s office currently has one official IT position, but additional duties are handled by the director of operations. Ammons pointed out the complexity of managing hundreds of devices required for elections, such as electronic pollbooks and vote tabulators. He noted that cross-training staff in IT can be challenging due to varying levels of comfort and ability with the technology.
Board member Brett Peugh spoke to IT staff in the clerk’s office and noted their busy schedules during election preparations, which begin months in advance. He said that IT staff are crucial in resolving issues at polling places, adding that the training required to comply with various laws makes it difficult to consolidate these roles without impacting the office’s operations.
Hanauer-Friedman explained that centralizing IT functions has been a growing trend within the county, with many departments previously maintaining their own IT staff transitioning to centralized support. The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission was the most recent department to undergo this transition last year.
The ongoing budget process has prompted the board to consider this potential move now, although a decision is not anticipated to occur immediately. Hanauer-Friedman noted that any changes to IT support in the clerk’s office are not reflected in the tentative Fiscal Year 2027 budget that was forwarded for approval during a board meeting.
Additionally, the county’s chief information officer, M.C. Neal, will soon be leaving his role to become the IT director for the city of Champaign, with his last day at the county on November 30. County board Chair Jennifer Locke mentioned that any transitions would ideally occur after the upcoming election and before the presidential election in 2028, although she will not participate in future discussions due to her term ending the same day as Neal’s departure.
Board members also contemplated introducing an advisory question regarding “AI hyperscale data centers” on the April 2027 ballot but opted to defer this discussion until a later date due to the absence of drafted language.
