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Hernando Today

City Would Contract With County For Tech Services

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By TONY MARRERO

Published: May 3, 2008

BROOKSVILLE City Manager Jennene Norman-Vacha began looking into the city's computer network last year and has not been pleased by what she found.

The city's information technology department — a two-person operation — is unorganized and does not have the necessary security measures in place to protect its computer network from hackers, Norman-Vacha wrote in a memo.

The network has been operating without the proper software to adequately protect it from viruses.

And the city's backup protocol does little to protect files, databases and financial records.

Norma-Vacha has outlined these problems and more in a memo to the city council, which will consider the issue at its 7 p.m. Monday meeting at City Hall, 201 N. Howell Ave.

"I have been surprised by what we have found, and am quite concerned," Norman-Vacha said Friday.

Norman-Vacha is recommending that Brooksville contract with the county's information technologies department on an annual basis to provide services to bring the city up to speed.

The contract would greatly improve the city's security and backup protocol, and the city would receive the same level of tech support that every county department gets, Norman-Vacha said.

Norman-Vacha has received a crash course in recent months from staffers in the county IT department, learning about the backup servers at the Emergency Operations Center and other technology from which the city could benefit.

"It would be at least 10 to 20 years out before city could transition to that kind of technology," she said.

The city would pay the county $60,000 next fiscal year, but would eliminate its two information technology staff positions, which would cost the city an estimated $92,000 next year. Norman-Vacha is recommends the city take the $32,000 saved and invest it in hardware and software.

County staffers have helped the city put a "Band-Aid" on its system to protect it in the short term, Norman-Vacha said.

The county commission is slated to consider the contract during its regular meeting Tuesday.

Financial audit is 'clean'

Norman-Vacha will report good news to the council about the city's annual financial audit.

The audit came back "clean," she said, with only a few minor recommendations for improvements. For example, the auditing firm, Oliver and Joseph P.A., recommended that the city establish a special fund for capital improvement revenue.

Norman-Vacha credited Finance Director Steve Baumgartner and his staff.

"They're very meticulous, and that's what you need and expect from a finance department," she said.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be contacted at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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