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LaSalle County IT reports rapid data migration, equipment rollout and ongoing AT&T billing issues
Summary
LaSalle County IT staff told the committee they moved roughly 270 terabytes of data in one week, are preparing hundreds of replacement PCs, coordinating data-center rack moves and fire suppression work, and are exploring consolidation options for AT&T phone bills; the committee voted to enter executive session on security procedures.
At its June 6, 2025, meeting, the LaSalle County IT and Central Services Committee received an update from county IT staff on a large data migration, equipment rollouts and ongoing challenges with AT&T telephone billing; the committee later voted to go into executive session on security procedures.
John, the county IT staff presenter, told the committee the department moved about 270 terabytes of data in a week as part of a data-center relocation and rack decommissioning effort. “We moved, like, 270 terabytes of data in a week,” John said, describing a faster-than-expected migration that allowed staff to proceed with rack removal and floor work to return offices to staff use.
IT reported that racks in the new space are installed, the fire-suppression system and air conditioning are operational, and some equipment still requires brief coordinated outages with dispatch for relocation. The department is staging roughly 300 replacement computers for distribution to departments including the health department and nursing homes; staff said tariff-driven pricing prompted an earlier bulk purchase to avoid a roughly 10% price increase on Dell systems. IT staff said they expect equipment rollout to continue through the fiscal year and hoped to complete distribution by September.
The committee discussed use of AT&T FirstNet 5G in a county park as a case study for connectivity to mobile emergency-management vehicles. John said the park installation will give IT a test case for devices that will be used in the emergency-management vehicle.
IT staff also described recurring problems with AT&T billing and multiple separate AT&T contracts and sales representatives. Staff described two options under consideration: (1) consolidate bills through a third-party firm that has proposed savings, or (2) return AT&T billing to County Property for faster, twice-monthly payment processing so bills do not become “hand-drawn” after committee approval deadlines. John said he had submitted bills to a consolidation vendor for review and had asked Stephanie Jo for the state statute that would require a 45-day payment period; he said he was waiting for a response. “There is a third party I know that says they can save us money on our AT and T bills. I’ve submitted my bills to them,” John said.
Committee members did not adopt a final policy during the meeting; they discussed options and requested follow-up. The committee voted to enter executive session to discuss security procedures and the use of personnel and equipment in response to a potential threat to public-safety personnel; roll call recorded aye votes from Tina Bush, Kendra Pottinger, Joanne McNally, Nancy Urich and Kathy Owens, and the motion passed.
No ordinances, contracts, or budget authorizations related to the data migration or phone-billing consolidation were approved at the meeting; staff reported they will update the committee on outstanding procurement, payment-timing and statutory clarifications at a future meeting.
