IVANHOE — The Lincoln County Board voted to approve a job description for a deputy county assessor and a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) professional at the recommendation of County Assessor Jean Nelson at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday.

A GIS is a system that connects and analyzes layers of data onto a map that can be used by the country assessor’s office and Sheriff’s Department.

Lincoln County Sheriff Chad Meester explained that when integrated into the Next Generation 911 system which should go online in late March or early April dispatchers can send all relevant data to deputies in the field while guiding them to the locations of emergency calls from cell phones or landlines, greatly enhancing public safety.

The GIS and deputy assessor’s functions had previously been handled by one person who has since left county employment.

The GIS professional would be a part-time temporary position, salary to be determined, reevaluated at the end of the year to determine whether they want to make it a permanent position. The deputy assessor position would be full-time.

Board Chairman Corey Sik asked if Meester would be willing to take on the job.

“That’s way above my pay grade,” Meester said.

County Auditor-Treasurer Deb Viefhuf said the county needs a professional with a four-year degree to update and integrate the systems.

Meester expressed misgivings about finding a qualified professional willing to work on a part-time temporary basis and said the alternative might be to contract the service, which could be much more expensive.

In other business, the board voted to approve the purchase of water rescue equipment from Mustang USA in the amount of $6,895. The money would be used to replace the county’s cold water immersion suits, so-called “Gumby suits” similar to those used by deep sea commercial fishermen in frigid waters, and purchase rescue floats and lines.

“The last time they were used leaks were detected,” Meester said. “Hopefully we’ll never have to use them.”