Bartholomew County government departments hit hard during last year’s budget crunch are back asking for more help after injuries and an e-mail crisis.

Rick Trimpe, head of the county’s maintenance department, said that one of his employees was injured during Saturday’s windy weather. While trying to secure metal siding that broke loose from the county highway garage on State Street on Saturday, the man was blown off his ladder breaking his arm and fracturing his foot. He is expected to be out of work for several months.

But Trimpe told the County Council last night at the council’s work session that after losing an employee to budget cuts last fall, he needs help immediately. Trimpe asked the council to consider reinstating a position lost during the budget negotiations last fall.

The county’s IT department was also looking for help last night. Jeff Wehmiller, the county’s IT director said they need at least $30,000 to hire a contractor to repair an aging e-mail server. The county workers who used to be able to keep the machine running have moved on to higher-paying jobs elsewhere and the department also lost positions during the budget crunch.

To update the server while maintaining all of the county employees email will cost the county up to $200 an hour for a contractor, Wehmiller estimated. Each of the e-mail addresses must be individually moved over to the new server, he said.