Council to decide devices and security settings after IT review; administration to add item to upcoming meeting

Council members and administration spent a portion of the May 19 meeting discussing city-issued devices, Teams/VPN security and the legal and records-management risks of council members using personal devices to access city information.

City Administrator Dukstein and budget-and-finance committee members said IT contact "Tom" provided guidance that the version of Microsoft Teams connected to the city's existing Outlook/Office package may not provide the higher security features available in upgraded Teams licenses. Dukstein said council members currently using personal devices risk exposing city information and that "the main thing is you don't want those on your personal devices." She said Tom had identified options with additional security and that purchasing city-issued devices would avoid storing protected materials on personal phones or tablets.

Councilmember Zorbs and others had asked for choices; Dukstein said she had circulated device options and that Tom had replied with follow-up questions about Teams protections. Mayor Nichols asked for the item to be added to a special meeting so council could make a decision in time to order devices by June. Councilmembers indicated they preferred the committee make a recommendation at the next committee meeting so staff could buy devices promptly. No formal procurement vote occurred at the May 19 meeting; administration committed to add the item to the committee/special meeting agenda and to return with a recommendation and pricing.