Apopka IT director seeks $5.6 million for radios, cybersecurity and system upgrades

Robert Hippler, information technology director, told the City Council that the Information Technology Department’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget is $5,600,000.

Hippler said the largest single portion of the request is related to Motorola radio services used by police and fire, and that the Motorola line alone represents about $2,000,000 of the request. He said the department maintains the city’s network, phones, servers, firewalls and a citywide help desk and performs cybersecurity testing and phishing campaigns.

Why it matters: IT supports public-safety communications and many city services. Hippler warned rising contract and software-assurance costs are driving a 12.8% year-over-year increase in the IT budget and asked council to…