Monona accepts state cybersecurity grant and approves budget amendment for multifactor authentication

Monona’s City Council on Nov. 3 approved a budget amendment to accept a $29,150 cybersecurity grant from Wisconsin Emergency Management and to fund the procurement of multifactor authentication (MFA) technology pending reimbursement.

Staff said the grant is 100% funded with no local match; because the city must purchase equipment and then seek reimbursement, the budget amendment temporarily draws the amount from fund balance until the state provides funds. The proposed MFA will cover access to city servers and payroll and accounting software, and staff told the council MFA will add a second authentication factor for staff who access sensitive systems.

Council members asked about existing cybersecurity training. Staff said the city’s IT consultants run simulated phishing campaigns and provide targeted training; the city will look to expand policy management and courseware that documents employee completion of required training. Staff told council that recent attempts to access email systems were defended successfully, underscoring the need for additional technical protections.

The council suspended rules to take the item out of order and approved the amendment and the contract actions necessary to implement MFA.

What’s next: IT staff and the city’s consultant will procure MFA services and roll out required training and policy acknowledgement for staff; reimbursements will follow grant documentation and reporting to the state.