West Allis IT director outlines plan to use $100,000 federal cybersecurity grant

Tony Warkachesky, the city’s director of information technology, told the Economic & Development Committee the city is positioned to accept a $100,000 federal grant to bolster municipal cybersecurity.

Warkachesky said the administration proposes using the funds to subscribe to a managed detection and response (MDR) cybersecurity service for three years. "The bottom line really is we're looking to take advantage of a $100,000 grant that's been made available by the federal government to protect cities like from West Dallas from cybersecurity crime," he said, adding the grant would cover the three‑year subscription.

The IT director told the committee there would be no automatic, ongoing commitment by the city when the grant money runs out. "We can elect to cancel the subscription at that time or elect to renew," he said, and estimated that if the city chose to continue the service after the grant ended the annual cost would be about $50,000 beginning in 2028.

Committee members asked about timing and confidentiality. One member asked whether the council should revisit the subscription before it expires. Warkachesky said he expected the question of continuing service to be part of the 2028 budget process and that he or his successor would likely recommend continuing protection. He added he was "uncomfortable talking about it tonight in this venue" when asked if some follow‑up should happen in closed session to avoid publicizing security details.

The item was presented as an informational discussion and no formal motion or vote was recorded. Committee members signaled interest in folding any decision on continuing the service into the regular budget prioritization process.

The discussion clarified the proposed use of the federal funds, the limited three‑year subscription term covered by the grant and the estimated potential future cost to the city. No procurement or contract award was finalized at the meeting.