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City administration, IT, fleet and facilities present budget priorities; IT highlights cybersecurity steps and fleet adds EVs
Summary
City administrative teams reviewed program budgets for fleet, facilities, purchasing, finance and IT. Presentations covered a growing electric and hybrid fleet, fuel and parts trends, a planned municipal building retrofit study, and stepped-up cybersecurity measures including multifactor authentication and ICN network service.
Corey and colleagues from fleet and facilities and IT staff presented a combined review of administrative, IT and fleet priorities to the Ames City Council on Feb. 4, emphasizing modernization, cybersecurity and incremental investments.
On fleet, staff reported continued moves into electric and hybrid vehicles: the city has six all‑electric vehicles that have been placed in service (two trucks, two SUVs, two cars) and four additional electric trucks are on order, with hybrids being added for police and other small trucks. Fleet staff said they see lower maintenance needs on hybrid and EV vehicles and that early service experience has shown “very little issues” with EVs in daily use, while also noting winter charging practices and battery-warmth considerations. Staff said biodiesel (B100) use remains a meaningful portion of the diesel mix, but Optimus‑type B100 pilots are currently focused on heavy-duty vehicles and broader adoption depends on manufacturer systems and partners.
Facilities staff described ongoing maintenance and capital items at city buildings, the auditorium HVAC replacement now under construction, and a planned municipal‑building retrofit evaluation that will examine envelope improvements, energy efficiency and vehicle charging needs. City Hall carpet and paint work will move into office areas beginning Feb. 24, and staff said updated ADA transition planning will guide future upgrades and signage.
IT staff described a small staffing adjustment and cited automation and ticketing efficiency that reduced helpdesk volume. The city’s network transitioned to the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) in November; staff said the move improved bandwidth and provided distributed denial‑of‑service (DDoS) protections. On cybersecurity, Brent described layered protections, weekly CISA reports on vulnerabilities and an annual security review with a private cybersecurity partner. The city plans citywide multifactor authentication for Windows logins using YubiKey (hardware tokens) for Windows devices and will continue existing protections for Microsoft 365 and remote access. Brent said the city also runs CrowdStrike endpoint protection and coordinates with state resources.
Purchasing and finance staff noted process improvements such as electronic routing for accounts payable, program‑budgeting support and use of third‑party forecasting tools for debt. Purchasing highlighted that some very large public‑works contracts now move through the purchasing office and that the city will evaluate cooperative purchasing or other strategies if the number of bidders remains low for certain categories.
Council and staff discussed cybersecurity training and the importance of multi‑layer vigilance for phishing and account compromise. IT staff said regular new‑employee orientation includes a cybersecurity segment and the city will expand education for all employees per external cybersecurity recommendations.
At the end of the meeting the council adopted a voice motion to adjourn; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
