Will oversee purchasing, information technology
The Putnam County Legislature on May 7 approved a merger of the Department of Purchasing and the Department of Information Technology/Geographic Information Systems, fulfilling one of County Executive Kevin Byrne’s initiatives.
The new Department of General Services will be led by a commissioner who will oversee the purchasing of supplies and equipment and centralized administrative services, and contain an independent division of IT/GIS headed by a director of information technology.
The change, which required amending the Putnam charter, gives the county executive the power to appoint the commissioner of general services and the IT director, with the commissioner’s appointment requiring confirmation by the Legislature.
Byrne said that the new department, whose additional duties include identifying grant opportunities and making purchases requested by municipalities, will streamline services and save money at no additional costs to the county.
