The Homewood Committee Meeting held on September 8, 2025, focused on two significant agenda items: the renewal of the Birmingham Bowl sponsorship and a proposal for a new data backup and disaster recovery solution.

The committee approved a sponsorship for the Birmingham Bowl, which has been a tradition for several years. The sponsorship costs $1,198 and includes promotional placement in the event's media guide, as well as two tickets and a parking pass for the game. This initiative aims to attract visitors to Homewood, encouraging them to utilize local hotels and restaurants during the event.

In a separate discussion, the committee addressed the urgent need for a new data backup solution. IT Director Mr. Stevens presented a proposal to enter into a three-year contract with ThinkGuard, which would replace the city's current backup system that has proven unreliable. The new solution is expected to enhance data recovery capabilities, allowing for more frequent backups and improved security against potential data loss incidents, including ransomware attacks.

Mr. Stevens highlighted that the current system had previously failed during a minor data loss incident, prompting the need for a more robust solution. The ThinkGuard proposal is approximately $20,000 less expensive annually than competing options and offers continuous backup capabilities, managed support, and off-site data storage. The total contract amount is projected to be around $60,000 per year, covering both server backups and the archiving of Office 365 environments.

The committee recognized the time-sensitive nature of the proposal, as the current backup solution is set to renew soon. The urgency of the situation led to a motion for approval, which was unanimously passed, ensuring that the city will not experience a gap in backup coverage.

Overall, the meeting underscored the city's commitment to enhancing local events and improving its technological infrastructure to safeguard critical data.