Procurement to adopt DocuSign; IT stresses cyber readiness and cautious AI use

Procurement Director Lorraine Sibilla told the council her office is fully or nearly fully staffed for the first time in years and plans to launch DocuSign in July to speed contract signing. The procurement office also plans to integrate bid postings with the city’s Munis system so vendors can see tabulation results promptly after openings.

IT leadership reported a roughly 6.7% year-over-year increase in their budget driven largely by contractual costs for software and infrastructure. IT managers described ongoing work to replace aging systems, expand services for the police department and strengthen cyber defenses. They noted a recent cyberattack on the school department that the city chose not to ransom and said that in such incidents the city would engage state and federal partners and inform elected officials.

IT staff said they are experimenting internally with AI tools for business processes but urged caution, citing the sensitive data the city holds and the risk that AI could expose private information if improperly used. The administration intends to continue cyber-hygiene efforts and deploy modernization steps while monitoring risk.