Among the casualties in Otsego County's cost-cutting for the 2010 budget is Marybeth Vargha, 50, the county's geographical information systems coordinator.
Her salary is $42,846 this year, according to county's Personnel Department.
Vargha joined the county as its solid-waste coordinator about 11 years ago and has spent the last eight years as its GIS expert, working first in her own department, then as part of the Information Technologies Department.
In the past year, she has worked in the Real Property and Tax Services Department, but throughout her tenure, she's also worked extensively with other departments.
Vargha is a computer expert who has led efforts to map the county during crises, such as the flood of 2006, the county's communications coordinator said.
``She's our expert, and I don't know what we're going to do without her,'' coordinator Roy Althiser said.
When people dial 911, dispatchers know where the call is coming from because Vargha has made sure information is programmed correctly.
``She has been instrumental in doing the addressing for our computer-aided dispatch, and she's a pleasure to work with,'' he said. ``The problem is that without her, we're basically at idle for incorporating new information into the system."
County Board Chairman James Powers, R-Butternuts, said he, too, worries about getting along without Vargha.
``Marybeth is not very political,'' Powers said. ``She's not the kind of person who talks a lot about what she's doing, but she's always done an excellent job. She just does it quietly and efficiently.''
Powers said the county plans to have its GIS work done by the Planning Department and may ask Vargha to work as a consultant for big jobs.
Planner Psalm Wyckoff currently does GIS work for her department, but on Tuesday, Wyckoff said she's not as knowledgeable as Vargha.
``The comparison I'd make is that if she's a Formula One race-car driver, I'm someone who knows a little about how the car goes,'' Wyckoff said.
Although she'll do her best to produce what the county needs, it would be unrealistic to say she can replace Vargha, Wyckoff said.
Vargha, who lives on a farm near Schenevus, said she looks philosophically upon her disengagement from the county.
``After more than a decade here, there are other things I want to do, things around the farm I haven't been able to get to,'' she said.
She said she will be looking for another job in her field, but in the meantime may be available to help the county with projects, should the need arise.
County Personnel Director Jennie Gliha said Vargha is one of a few of the 840 county workers who lost their job when the 2010 budget was adopted.
Gliha said she could not disclose other names, as she had not yet received an official list and was not sure if employees had been notified of their pending exits.
