Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Digital Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
IT reorganizes project management and security reporting, defers some new initiatives to protect core cybersecurity
Summary
County IT moved security under direct CIO oversight, reorganized project management, and said it will defer several non‑core initiatives while continuing essential security work and a Windows/endpoint refresh.
Joe Acala, chief information officer, told the board he reorganized functions in Information Technology to increase visibility on security and project delivery and to measure and report progress on a set of transformational projects.
Acala said the department’s FY26 request is about $15.2 million and that roughly 42% of services are charged to non‑general funds. He told commissioners he relocated security to report directly to the CIO to give it higher visibility and that he has a program manager in place to better manage the department’s project portfolio.
Acala listed several transformational projects underway or planned, including the countywide permitting system implementation (Accela), a computer end‑user computing refresh to prepare for Windows 11 and an assortment of records and workflow modernization efforts. He also said the department is assessing opportunities and risks around artificial intelligence and is developing an AI policy and training plans; Acala said a graduate student is assisting IT with initial AI work.
Addressing a board concern, Acala said the team removed or deferred several proposed security and network initiatives from the FY26 list when the underlying procedures and supporting components were not yet in place, but he emphasized that the department’s core security and network protections for existing systems would continue. "That has been reallocated or relocated, I should say, to report directly to me," he said of security, and added the removal of higher‑risk initiatives was meant to avoid buying solutions that would become shelfware.
What’s next: IT will return with more detail on project timelines and proposed enterprise software investments and will continue to develop AI governance and staff training.
