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Gahanna moves to advance hiring of network analyst ahead of 2026; cites House Bill 96 cybersecurity requirements
Summary
City IT presented a proposal to hire a network analyst now (instead of waiting for the 2026 budget) to meet a state cybersecurity program implementation and to reduce single-person network dependency; staff said the position requires background checks and that hiring now could place the analyst on staff before the law's implementation date of Jan.
Senior city staff told the committee of the whole on Aug. 11 they want to advance hiring for a network analyst in the information-technology division so the city has additional capacity to meet new state cybersecurity requirements and to support projects already underway.
The presenter said the request would not change the salary ordinance or require supplemental funding because of current salary-line savings. The administration described a hiring timeline that would allow posting in August, application review and interviews in the next 30to 45 days, then background checks and onboarding so the new analyst could be in place by late 2025 or early 2026.
On the new state law: staff cited House Bill 96 and its requirements. The presenter read the six elements staff is using to prepare: "assess critical systems and risks, understand breach impacts, detect threats early, define incident response procedures, plan for recovery, and train all staff." Staff said the law has an implementation date of Jan. 1, 2026 and that the city already performs many cybersecurity functions but needs additional capacity to document, test and automate elements before audits.
Role and operational need: staff said the network analyst would support penetration testing, threat monitoring, role-based access control, real-time alert review, SOP documentation, redundancy planning, asset tracking, disaster recovery drills and CJIS alignment for police data. The presenter said the city currently relies heavily on a single network administrator and that the analyst would create redundancy and cross-training.
Council response: Councilmembers signaled general support in committee for advancing the hire. The presenter said the administration will bring formal staffing-priority materials in the budget workshop in October; if only one new position were funded next year, staff indicated the network analyst would be a top priority.
Next steps: staff requested permission to post the position immediately to complete recruiting, interviews and background checks well ahead of the law's Jan. 1, 2026 implementation date.
