At the meeting, the commissioners approved a request by Tony Peffley, chief information officer for Elkhart County government, for an additional appropriation of $2.2 million, which, Peffley said, is needed in order to improve the network's security. The requested funding will come from the county's Cumulative Capital Development Fund.
"Approximately $1.2 million of the request is for new or updated security equipment and subscriptions of services to enhance the county's ability to maintain a technologically sound and secure IT environment," Peffley told the commissioners. "This is not only required for insurance purposes, but also for business and legal needs."
Peffley noted that his department has been working with its insurance consultant since last summer to determine not only what is necessary for the security upgrade, but what best practices are for IT security.
"The balance of the request is primarily to adjust funding for ongoing operations and subscriptions to maintain up-to-date IT products," Peffley said. "The county switched from licensed products to subscription-based products at the end of last year, which allows us to stay current with upgrades, patches and regular enhancements of the software as they are released.
"These requests could not have been included in the budget due to the timing at the end of last year, and even into the first part of this year," he added of the need for the additional appropriation. "As we discussed in executive session, due to the nature of the security elements and features, it would be recommended that we not disclose particular information about the specific products and services."
The commissioners agreed, and the requested additional appropriation was approved unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the commissioners:
—Granted permission for the Elkhart County Health Department to move forward with a two-year Elevated Blood Lead Level Reduction Grant through the Indiana State Department of Health. As described, the grant will fund the hiring of a new lead case manager in the ECHD's nurse division, allowing the department to serve more than 200 local children impacted by lead exposure.
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