County IT seeks FEMA grant match for Microsoft 365 migration; commissioners ask for more cost details

Jeremiah Kirkpatrick, Stark County IT coordinator, told commissioners the county was awarded a FEMA grant to cover about 70% of a planned migration to Microsoft 365 government cloud and associated cybersecurity improvements. The full project cost was read on the record as $233,176.95 and the FEMA grant amount cited as $137,254.60.

Kirkpatrick asked the commission for a $45,000 county contribution to cover the upfront contractor implementation payments and other near‑term expenses. He said the project would include licensing, training, mobile device management and security configuration and that the implementation vendor proposed a payment schedule requiring roughly 50% up front.

Commissioners pressed for more detail about recurring annual licensing costs and alternatives through the state’s Microsoft tenant. Kirkpatrick said the implementation quote included a recurring licensing figure (about $37,098.95 per year in the vendor quote) and that the county would explore state purchasing options and whether moving under the state tenant could reduce annual costs.

Commissioners did not vote on the request at the meeting; they asked Kirkpatrick to return with comparisons of state‑tenant licensing, clarification of the county’s recurring costs and the grant match schedule so the board could consider the item in the upcoming budget process. Kirkpatrick said the project’s deadline to complete work tied to licensing and CJIS modernization is later in 2026 and indicated he would follow up in two weeks.