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Fairfield council hears presentation on new Government Data Privacy Act, given steps to comply by year-end
Summary
A consultant walked the council through the 2024 Government Data Privacy Act compliance steps, advising Fairfield to appoint a CAO and records officers, deploy an 8‑minute training video for staff/council and submit the privacy program report by Dec. 31.
Spencer, a presenter to the Fairfield Town Council, outlined key steps for local compliance with the Government Data Privacy Act (GDPA) passed in 2024, telling the council the most urgent item is a privacy program report due to the state by Dec. 31, 2025. Spencer recommended the town appoint a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to serve as the program lead and designate records officers (likely the town reporter/records staff) to assemble a data inventory and documentation of who the town shares personal information with.
The presenter said the report due this year is primarily internal documentation and that the state’s data privacy office may later request to see the report. He advised the council to limit collection to necessary personal information, inventory where data is stored (physical and cloud), and ensure vendors use password protection and multi‑factor authentication. Spencer offered templates and follow‑up support and said he would share materials with Stephanie and Mayor Holly McKinney.
Spencer emphasized training: the state’s annual training video is about eight minutes long, and logging completion for all council, planning commission and staff will satisfy a report question about staff training levels. He recommended a short council work session to watch the video as a group and capture 100% compliance for the training question on the report.
Why this matters: The council will need to adopt procedures and assign responsibilities to meet the state’s deadlines and create a data inventory that shows what personal identifying information the town collects, who has access and which vendors receive data. Spencer warned additional requirements will phase in through 2027 and offered to return with next steps in early 2026.
The council asked procedural questions about who should complete the report and whether it would be onerous; Spencer said the initial report is lightweight but that further steps will require sustained attention. Action items from the presentation included sending templates to staff, identifying the CAO and records officers, and scheduling the short training so the town can mark staff as trained by year‑end.
