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Board rejects Amelia County schools' request to appropriate $70,176 for cybersecurity pilot
Summary
The Amelia County Board of Supervisors declined a motion to appropriate up to $70,176 to advance a schools cybersecurity pilot after members raised questions about timing, vendor reimbursement procedures and whether the board should appropriate a smaller committed amount.
The Amelia County Board of Supervisors voted down a motion to appropriate up to $70,176 to cover upfront vendor costs for a cybersecurity pilot tied to a schools grant, after members expressed concern the county would put cash forward before final reimbursement details were complete.
The school division's finance representative (speaker 5) told the board the vendor required local payment before the county could seek reimbursement and asked the board to "request an appropriation of the full award amount to ensure the increased expenditure within our budget is offset by the increased revenue provided by the reimbursement." Board members pressed for clarity on how much had already been spent and whether the board should commit only to the actual expended amount. After debate, a motion to appropriate $70,176 failed on a voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public transcript.
Board members said they supported the underlying cybersecurity pilot but wanted more precise accounting before committing the full award amount, noting the vendor-selected reimbursement method was new to the division and might leave some funds unrecoverable. The finance presenter said $57,751.42 had been expended to date, and the division projected $51,976.28 in reimbursable costs based on issued purchase orders and payments. The presenter described the pilot as a multi-year vendor contract that would provide cybersecurity services and hardware for three years.
The board did not adopt an alternative appropriation on the record during the meeting; staff indicated they would return with clarifying budget forms if needed. The failed motion leaves the timing of procurement and vendor payment unresolved while staff complete reimbursement documentation and projections.
For now, the schools will continue to work with county staff to clarify how much local cash would be temporarily committed under the new reimbursement invoicing method and whether a narrower appropriation request or amended paperwork would address supervisors' concerns.
