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Mendota Heights council keeps LOGIS as primary IT provider, will explore paid cybersecurity add‑ons
Summary
By consensus the Mendota Heights City Council opted to keep its current LOGIS service model and directed staff to pursue two new LOGIS cybersecurity offerings — Security as a Service ($48,500/yr) and Vulnerability Management ($24,750–$32,750/yr) — as part of 2027 budget planning.
The Mendota Heights City Council agreed March 17 to continue the city's existing IT service relationship with LOGIS while pursuing two new paid cybersecurity options as part of the 2027 budget process.
Assistant City Administrator Kelly Torkelson told the council that cybersecurity claims are rising and that staff and LOGIS had outlined two offerings. Patty Hartwig, Client Services Group Supervisor at LOGIS, described Security as a Service, an incident response program that would give the city access to LOGIS cybersecurity experts and specialized software to help detect and respond to breaches; staff said the annual cost would be $48,500. Mike McCauley, LOGIS IT Security Operations Manager, described Vulnerability Management as a proactive program that combines software and staffing to scan systems for vulnerabilities; estimated annual costs were $24,750 to $32,750, reflecting one to two hours per week of LOGIS staff time to address identified issues.
"The proposed services would add another defensive layer to reduce risk, but noted that no system can provide absolute guarantees," Patty Hartwig said. McCauley added that the Vulnerability Management service is capable of detecting a breach or cyberattack in real time.
Torkelson emphasized the risk of not expanding protections: "Without the services offered by LOGIS a cyberattack could be devastating and costly," she said, noting that in the event of a serious incident the city would need to secure emergency contract services if it lacked internal capacity. The council discussed the tradeoffs between contracting for additional LOGIS services and hiring an in‑house IT employee; staff said the decision will be revisited during the 2027 budget deliberations.
Staff also noted the city carries enhanced liability insurance through the League of Minnesota Cities that provides $500,000 of coverage for cyber incidents. Councilors voiced support for continuing the current LOGIS model while evaluating the additional offerings; the record shows the council reached consensus to pursue the options rather than take immediate formal action.
Next steps: staff will continue evaluating the LOGIS proposals and present budget recommendations during the 2027 process.
