TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Smith County's chief information officer told commissioners the county's IT department is "critically understaffed," a concern he said he has raised for three consecutive years.

Don Bell leads the county's IT department, which has grown from nine employees to 22 since he joined in 2013.

This year, Bell is requesting two additional full-time employees as county departments seek more artificial intelligence tools and the county prepares to open a new courthouse.