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Wayne County approves budget adjustments to buy IT security tools, fund employee bus passes; auditor flags late amendments tied to cyberattack
Summary
The Wayne County Finance and Management Committee approved two budget adjustments — one to buy new IT security tools after a county cyberattack and one to fund a countywide employee bus‑pass program — and heard the auditor general warn that some budget amendments were submitted after fiscal year end because systems and data were disrupted.
Wayne County’s Finance and Management Committee approved two budget adjustments on Feb. 25, 2025, including funds to purchase new information‑security tools after a county cyberattack and a reclassification to fund a countywide employee bus‑pass program, and heard the auditor general warn that late amendments tied to a recent systems migration and cyberattack must be corrected before the close of the next fiscal year.
The committee moved and approved both items in a single voice vote. Commissioner Badoon moved the motion; Commissioner Scott supported it. The approvals covered budget adjustment 2025‑35055 — certifying revenue in the capital projects fund and the essential services fund for new IT security tools — and budget adjustment 2025‑35028 — certifying revenue in the general fund to support a countywide employee bus‑pass program.
The items mattered not only for their immediate funding but because the committee followed the votes with an extended discussion about how a cyberattack and a recent enterprise systems migration have disrupted year‑end budgeting and prompted a formal audit finding. "So the majority of this budget adjustment is for cost to help. It's not for remediation. It's more for new tools, new systems to protect us going forward," Hector Roman, Director of the Information Technology Department, told the committee when presenting the IT request. Roman said staff will provide commissioners with a running total of remediation costs and a list of purchases tied to the incident.
Greg McIntyre, deputy budget director in the Department of Management and Budget, described the second item as a reclassification to place a new employee bus‑pass benefit outside payroll accounting. "This is a new countywide program to fund employee bus passes, and we're mimicking what we did with the parking program," McIntyre said, explaining that the change corrects an internal budgeting classification issue.
The committee’s discussion then turned to a formal finding raised by the auditor general. RC CORAL, identified in the transcript as the auditor general, said the county’s prior audit for the period ending Sept. 30, 2023, cited a material weakness and material noncompliance: the county had incurred costs before year‑end but did not amend the budget until after the fiscal year closed. "The uniform budget manual prepared by the Department of Treasury clearly states for the budget act requires budget amendments before any expenditures exceed the budget, and there should be no budget amendments after year end," RC CORAL told the committee, and asked what corrective actions the county will take.
Yogesh Kisani, deputy chief financial officer in Administration and Budget, told commissioners the county’s delayed reconciliations were affected by a cyberattack that occurred in October (month specified in the meeting; year not specified). He also said the county recently went live on a new human capital management system in mid‑year and was converting long‑running records from a 20‑year‑old PeopleSoft installation to a JD Edwards environment. Kisani explained that missing payroll and other data during the final quarter made it difficult to prepare accurate budget‑versus‑actual schedules before year end. "If payroll cost is not there, right, you can't do budget versus actual for the last quarter even," Kisani said. He told commissioners staff will work to ensure reconciliations and any necessary amendments occur before the next fiscal year close.
Committee members thanked IT staff for rapid response and restoration work. Commissioner Anderson asked for a running total of remediation and prevention costs; Roman agreed to provide those figures. Commissioner Clemente encouraged all commissioners and staff to use the county’s SharePoint system for file storage and to seek training if needed, noting that some files might take longer to recover.
Deputy Budget Director McIntyre also presented a budget calendar for the FY2025–26 budget cycle, saying the county aims to submit a proposed budget to the commission by June 3. "If you look at the top of the document, those items in bold, steps 1 through 5, these are the things we've already pretty much completed," McIntyre said. He highlighted step 13 as the target date to present the budget to the commission.
No members of the public offered comment during the meeting.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of minutes from Feb. 25, 2025 meeting — voice vote; motion moved and supported; outcome: approved (individual roll call not recorded in transcript).
- Budget adjustment 2025‑35055 (capital projects fund and essential services fund — IT security tools) — motion moved by Commissioner Badoon, supported by Commissioner Scott; voice vote: approved.
- Budget adjustment 2025‑35028 (general fund — countywide employee bus‑pass program) — motion moved by Commissioner Badoon, supported by Commissioner Scott; voice vote: approved.
What’s next
Staff said they will schedule a follow‑up briefing for commissioners with additional detail on the cyberincident, a list of remediation costs and purchases, and steps the Department of Management and Budget will take to prevent late budget amendments. The budget office will continue work on the FY2025–26 calendar with a goal of submitting the proposed budget to the commission by June 3.
