Arlington proclaims October 2025 as Cybersecurity Month and National Community Planning Month

Mayor Jim Ross proclaimed October 2025 as Cybersecurity Month and as National Community Planning Month for the City of Arlington during the council’s Oct. 21 meeting.

Ross read a proclamation recognizing the city’s role in protecting residents and staff from cyber threats and urged residents to adopt four cybersecurity habits he listed during the proclamation: enable multifactor authentication, use strong and unique passwords, recognize and report phishing attempts, and update software regularly. The mayor also referenced the state’s increased cybersecurity efforts, noting the establishment of the Texas Cyber Command and the city’s collaboration with state efforts to reduce cybercrime.

The council also marked National Community Planning Month, praising Arlington planning staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and partners such as the University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. The mayor’s proclamation cited recent planning workload and permit activity for 2024; the transcript’s numeric transcription of those figures was unclear, so the council record should be consulted for exact counts.

A representative of the city’s cybersecurity team thanked the mayor and council for their support and noted the behind-the-scenes work that keeps city systems secure. A planning representative likewise thanked council for ongoing support of transportation, long-range planning and neighborhood initiatives and emphasized the role of public engagement in shaping the city’s future.

The recognitions were ceremonial; no formal policy decisions were taken on the proclamations themselves. The council recessed briefly for photographs before moving on to regular business.