Trustees pull $20,906 Huntress cybersecurity invoice, ask staff for short‑term coverage and RFP

During the consent‑agenda review on May 12 the board pulled and debated two bills, most notably a $20,906.40 invoice for Huntress Labs, a cybersecurity vendor that provides endpoint detection and response for village systems.

A trustee (speaker 11) said the board had not discussed the Huntress contract in public and objected to approving a bill above the board’s threshold without prior board review. The trustee also raised questions about another vendor, Phoenix Midwest, and requested proof of registration and vetting. Village staff (Barry, speaker 12) said Huntress had recently detected and contained a malware incident on a village machine, described the service as the village’s endpoint detection and response safeguard, and explained the invoice covers the April 29, 2026–April 29, 2027 service period.

Trustees moved to amend the warrant list by removing the Huntress charge pending further documentation. The motion passed on a roll call; trustees instructed staff to return with a short‑term coverage plan (month‑to‑month or two months of service) while the village issues an RFP to competitively bid longer‑term cybersecurity services. After the amendment the board approved the warrant list without the Huntress charge and by consensus directed staff to bring back options and supporting documentation.

The discussion reflected two competing priorities: trustees’ desire for competitive procurement and transparency for bills above established thresholds, and staff’s position that maintaining cybersecurity protections requires continuity while the village completes a procurement process. Several trustees suggested billing could be split into interim payments while an RFP runs to ensure the village remains protected.