Commissioners table $11,000‑plus wireless access‑point replacement while county IT inventories aging devices

County commissioners on June 2 paused action on a plan to replace aging wireless access points after hearing from Parish Consulting that several devices in county buildings no longer receive security updates. Kyle Walls, of Parish Consulting, told the board the devices are “still working, but they're not receiving any new security patches” and identified 13 access points in need of replacement, mostly in the courthouse and other county buildings.

The consultant said access points rely on vendor firmware updates and, without them, the devices are “subject to be hacked or attacked by threat actors.” He described the county’s network defenses — internet‑edge routers, endpoint antivirus and managed detection and response software — but said unsupported access points create a vulnerable gap.

Commissioners questioned whether it would be more efficient to expand the replacement to additional devices that will reach end‑of‑life in the next one to two years. One commissioner asked Walls to check for other access points that might be close to expiration so the county could consolidate work and save money; Walls agreed to return with a follow‑up report. A commissioner then moved to table the estimate pending that report; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The vendor’s figure was recorded in the transcript with unclear punctuation; commissioners discussed securing roughly an “11,000” funding front to move the project. The board did not adopt a contract or award at the meeting and directed staff to report back with a fuller inventory and cost estimate.

What happens next: Parish Consulting will return with a follow‑up inventory and cost options; the board will reconsider the proposal at a future meeting once staff can confirm scope and consolidated pricing.