IT requests capital funding for network switches and county data backup after Tyler migration

Jeff, the county’s IT lead, reviewed IT’s preliminary capital requests and ongoing operating needs during the Sept. 16 work session.

Jeff said the IT capital request includes replacement of aging network switching equipment and that the top-line figure submitted was a worst-case 1-to-1 replacement estimate; he proposed phasing the work (for example, funding 25% in 2026) to reduce the one-year hit. He said some core network switches are more than a decade old and that a phased replacement would reduce the risk of unexpected failures.

Jeff also described a gap in the current Tyler software deployment: a county-owned archival backup for the Tyler suite that would provide an independent copy of financial and land records outside the vendor ecosystem. He said he negotiated a Tyler-backed archival/restore service proposal and that the annual cost, split across clerk, assessor and treasurer, would be a modest annual fee to ensure the county has read-accessible copies of its own records for disaster recovery.

IT also requested an on-call policy and limited flex-time compensation for after-hours support coverage; Jeff proposed a lightweight on-call schedule with flex-time rather than a large cash on-call stipend. Jeff noted that some software licensing and subscription items have been consolidated in the capital requests for clarity but asked the board and finance to confirm how those will be allocated across departments and whether the large multi-year Tyler prepayment affects department line items this budget year.

Commissioners asked IT to provide a refined phased capital plan and to confirm the department-level billing for Tyler maintenance and archival services so the packet shows each department’s true annual obligation.