Pros
Every team and manager is different, but generally the work life balance here is excellent. You are in a position where extra effort is not expected but is appreciated. Many engineers at the County are experts in their field and can provide a wealth of knowledge. The pay can be reasonable if you enter with enough years of experience and get promoted through competitive interviews (10%-15% raise). Telework or flexible work schedule can usually be arranged with your manager. Adequate resources are typically provided for your job (rent vehicle, safety equipment, etc). 12.5 holidays with potentially 2 floating holidays coming. 13 PTO and 13 Sick days for the first 3 years, but employees have the opportunity to accrue comp time for hours they work over 40. After 3 years it’s 19.5 PTO and 13 Sick. Pension is strong. Takes about 5.3% out of your paycheck, but you’re eligible to retire when your age + years of county experience = 85. The pension alone will usually provide ~60% of your pre-retirement salary.
Cons
If you are coming from the private sector, you may be surprised by how limiting IT and HR can be. There are restricting limits on what you can do to help get better hardware/software or new positions/raises for staff. Sometimes it can take weeks to get IT tickets resolved. Their purpose isn’t to give you resources and set you up for success. It largely revolves around limiting their liability and mitigating risk.