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Reidsville council bars viewing pornography on city networks, accepts $125,000 cybersecurity grant
Summary
Council approved updates to the city’s IT policy prohibiting viewing pornography on government networks and devices (with narrow exceptions for investigations and law enforcement) and accepted a $125,000 state/local cybersecurity grant to upgrade network security, training and incident response.
The Reidsville City Council on Jan. 14 approved updates to the city’s information‑technology policy that explicitly prohibit viewing pornography on city networks and devices, and approved acceptance of a $125,000 state/local cybersecurity grant and an accompanying budget amendment.
Information Technology Director Shel Williams told council the policy changes extend to employees, elected officials and appointees using city networks (including Wi‑Fi) and clarify permitted exceptions for law enforcement, crime investigation, training and cybersecurity threat analysis. Williams said the city would require employees to acknowledge the revised policy and that IT would monitor for compliance and deliver training.
Council then considered a separate agenda item: acceptance of a $125,000 grant through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) and a related budget ordinance amendment. City staff said the funds will be used to upgrade firewalls and intrusion detection, expand employee cybersecurity awareness training, strengthen incident‑response capabilities and modernize legacy systems.
Council voted to adopt the IT policy changes (motion by Councilman Cops; second by Councilwoman Scobble) and to accept the $125,000 grant (motion by Councilman Harston; second by Councilman Coats). Officials said the grant will bolster defenses against phishing and other cyber threats and support continued training for city staff.
The approval carries a standard implementation plan: IT will coordinate with HR on employee acknowledgments, schedule training sessions and apply grant funds to the prioritized technical upgrades.
