Council considers $9,000 security assessment as state cybersecurity deadline nears

Council reviewed Resolution 16-2026, which would authorize the mayor to contract with New Era Technology for a village cybersecurity assessment and declared an emergency so work could begin before the state deadline.

A staff speaker said New Era proposed about 40 hours of assessment work; one cost figure cited in discussion was roughly $9,000 for the initial assessment. Several members asked for the contract scope and attachments; one attendee said the contract materials did not include a scope of work in the meeting packet and requested clarification.

Members discussed House Bill 96, which was described in the meeting as requiring small jurisdictions to have a cybersecurity program active by July 1. That timetable prompted debate over whether to adopt emergency language or to schedule additional readings: “House Bill 96 was passed … and it requires all little subdivisions to have a cybersecurity program in place and active by July 1,” a speaker said during the discussion.

Councilors noted vendor availability constraints and said previous IT vendors had limited availability. Some members suggested tabling the item until attachments and scope were provided or holding a special meeting to finalize the contract. The council did not vote on the contract during the recorded segments; members debated removing or keeping emergency clauses to reconcile procedural requirements and the approaching deadline.

Next steps: staff was asked to provide a complete scope of work and contract attachments; council discussed scheduling further consideration to ensure compliance ahead of the July 1 deadline.