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Harsha Potashaw water board approves cybersecurity service agreement with vendor
Summary
The Harsha Potashaw Water and Sewer Utility Board approved a three-year cybersecurity agreement after discussing a vendor offer that included a free first year and $12,000 annual fees thereafter; legal review and grant support were requested.
The Harsha Potashaw Water and Sewer Utility Board voted to approve a cybersecurity service agreement after hearing a vendor offer that would provide the first year of protection free and charge $12,000 per year afterward under a minimum two-year commitment.
Board Chair said the vendor —they are now offering to do the cyber security for free for the first year— and described a likely three-year obligation if the Board accepted the two-year paid minimum following the complimentary initial year. Board members said the vendor would assist with grant applications to offset costs. The Chair asked legal to review the contract before final signature.
Board members discussed cost and timing. One board member framed cybersecurity as a significant operational risk, telling colleagues a single malware incident could be costly. The motion to approve the contract was moved, seconded by Sean Taylor, and carried by voice vote; meeting minutes do not record a numerical roll-call tally.
Why it matters: municipal water utilities run specialized software and SCADA-adjacent systems that this Board described as already being served by the vendor for some software packages. Board members said the service would add a layer of protection for billing and operational systems and that grants could reduce the Board—s net cost.
Board documents presented the vendor offer as a first-year no-cost trial and then $12,000 per year. The Chair said the three-year commitment would amount to roughly $24,000 in paid years after applying the free initial year, depending on grant success.
Votes at a glance: the Board approved three routine items during the meeting by voice votes: approval of the minutes, approval of the August 2024 financial reports, and approval of the cybersecurity service agreement. The meeting record does not list individual vote tallies for those items.
The Board directed staff to send the proposed contract to legal for expedited review and to follow up on available grant funding to offset the subscription cost. The contract implementation timeline was described as contingent on legal approval and grant outcomes.
