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Walker commission approves Cybersecurity Mutual Aid MOU, OKs $397,523 in expenditures
Summary
The Walker City Commission approved a draft Cybersecurity Mutual Assistance memorandum of understanding that lets neighboring municipalities lend IT personnel after an incident and authorized $397,522.71 in city expenditures; the city manager was empowered to sign nonsubstantive edits.
The Walker City Commission on May 18 approved a draft Cybersecurity Mutual Assistance memorandum of understanding intended to let neighboring municipal IT staffs provide on‑site, “boots on the ground” help after a major cybersecurity incident. The commission also approved expenditures totaling $397,522.71.
Mayor (speaker S1) introduced the item and invited Jason Rotman, the city’s director of information technology (speaker S2), to explain the agreement. Rotman described the MOU as a mutual‑aid framework that would not replace incident management but would let nearby IT professionals help with recovery tasks. “So that's the long and short of this, is if anyone in this region gets hit, we would be able to lean on one another to help,” Rotman said.
Rotman said the agreement is patterned on fire department mutual‑aid principles and has been shared with regional partners; he said Granville has accepted the MOU so far while Wyoming, Kentwood and Grand Rapids are reviewing it. Rotman asked that the commission allow the city manager to approve any non‑substantive, ministerial changes to avoid repeatedly returning minor edits to the commission.
The consent agenda—where the MOU was placed after discussion at the Committee of the Whole—also included an item approving city expenditures in the amount of $397,522.71. The mayor said the MOU contains no fees and noted the arrangement is intended to be collaborative and “best effort” among municipalities. The commission approved both consent items by voice vote; the mayor authorized the city manager to sign the MOU on the city’s behalf if there are no material changes.
The commission’s action does not create an immediate funding obligation for the MOU, which Rotman described as an in‑kind labor resource arrangement. Rotman told commissioners he drafted the agreement with assistance from regional counsel and that participating cities are still finishing legal review. The mayor said the commission expects to see other municipalities’ edits and that the city manager’s delegated authority would cover only non‑material language changes.
The commission scheduled its next finance meeting for June 8 and a second June meeting on June 22. The full commission adjourned after routine business.
