Andover, Conn., Prepares to Vote on Technology Upgrades

(TNS) — While most state residents will elect candidates to their governing bodies on Tuesday, town residents in Andover, Conn., have but one referendum question to vote on: Should the town allocate up to $40,000 from the General Fund budget to pay for information technology infrastructure upgrades?

The proposal was presented to residents during a special town meeting last month, where a paper ballot vote revealed overwhelming support of the measure, 65-4, giving the proposal a green light to head to the Nov. 5 referendum.

After the town solicited help from South Windsor’s IT department, which recently conducted an audit of the computer system, town officials agreed that several items should be addressed immediately.

The upgrades were organized into three priority lists. The first is the most critical, which includes backing up the system to ensure the town could recover its files in an emergency. The only backup used has been saving data onto a USB thumb drive periodically, officials say.

Other issues that will be addressed include switching to a fiber optic connection, which would ensure faster and more reliable internet and phone connection, and updating the town’s desktop software to Windows 10.

The town elects its officers every four years in May.

Polls will open on Nov. 5 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Hall Community Room, 17 School Road.

©2019 Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.