County CIO says issued email addresses for citizen appointees are available after signed IT-use policy

Escambia County’s new chief information officer, John Arar, told the Tourist Development Council on March 13 that the county can issue official email addresses to appointed non‑employee TDC members but will require a signed IT use policy before creating accounts.

Arar said a streamlined, three‑page advisory‑committee version of the county’s IT use policy has been prepared for non‑county employees; if members prefer, they may also sign the full county employee policy and only the sections relevant to non‑employees would apply. He said the Board of County Commissioners will consider a revised policy at the second meeting in March and members may wait for that approval before signing.

"We don't see any issues with providing this board with email addresses," Arar said. He explained the county needs a signed IT use policy on file before provisioning addresses and indicated staff could provide an electronic signature workflow for convenience.

Council members said they sought county-issued accounts to ensure TDC-related correspondence is preserved under public‑records rules rather than relying on personal inboxes. Arar said once a signed policy is returned staff will generate county email addresses and that the timing depends on whether members choose the streamlined advisory version now or wait for the BCC-approved policy update.

Ending: TDC members were encouraged to review the draft policy and return a signed copy to staff; staff said they will distribute the streamlined policy and can enable electronic signatures to expedite account creation.