Washington County IT staff gave a quarterly update to the Public Works Committee covering completed projects, ongoing migrations and security improvements.

IT staff reported several completed items since the previous quarter: conversion of multiple Microsoft Access databases to a Washington County application used by planning and parks/natural resources, and ongoing migration of departmental files to Office 365 and cloud storage. Staff said the migrations are an ongoing process expected to continue over the next one to two years.

Network work at the sheriff’s office is complete and staff plan to replace switches at the public agency center this summer. Staff also said the county’s second security audit score improved from 633 last year to 749 after hiring a cybersecurity position and purchasing update-management software to keep systems current.

When asked about next-generation permitting in land resources and the percentage of permits available online, IT staff said roughly 80% of items are online; two permits remain in development, including the county highway access utility permit that requires coordination with highway staff.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about the score scale (reported as 350–850, like a credit-score range) and shared-services work with towns. IT staff said shared-services agreements are progressing and that the department is supporting local building projects that are transitioning to new county-managed infrastructure.

The update was informational; no committee vote was required.