Jackson County Commissioners approved measures on Tuesday to better secure county data against cyberattacks.
County Commissioners approved increasing the county’s insurance coverage to $1 million through the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) Liability Contribution Coverage and Declarations Proposal.
Commissioners also approved a proposal from DE Webworks to include extended email backup and archiving services to its existing MSP agreement at $3.95 per seat, which would bring the Courthouse into compliance with state legislative archiving requirements.
The county has around 128 work stations, or seats, which would mean approximately $505.60 per month, or $6,067.20 annually, Jackson County Judge Jill Sklar said and noted that the money was available in the county’s IT support budget.
While the county already holds liability coverage through TAC, Sklar said, Tuesday’s action provides a higher level of coverage in case of attack.
“This new policy is adding privacy or security event liability, which was originally covered in our public officials’ liability, so back in 2019 when we had our cybersecurity event we were covered under our public officials’ liability, which was a part of the insurance coverage,” Sklar said. “They have carved that out now and that’s not part of it. Now it’s a separate cybersecurity coverage, to my understanding.”
The county is eligible for two levels: $500,000 coverage with a $5,000 deductible for $5,000 yearly, or $1 million coverage with a $10,000 deductible for $7,500 yearly, Sklar said.
“If you’re talking about a catastrophic event, where you’re looking at $1 million in damages, that $5,000 is nothing,” Sklar said. “When we had our event, I think we were very fortunate, and I don’t think we were out more than $500,000. We did a lot of upgrades and those things that were much needed that raised our recovery.”
While Jackson County Auditor Michelle Darilek recommended the $500,000 policy, Sklar said she leaned toward the higher amount.
“My concern is not about our equipment and our hardware, per se, that’s going to be messed up,” Sklar said. “My concern would be, if we had a security breach – which we’re doing everything I think we can with DE Webworks to prevent this – but if we had a security breach where confidential information was released, that could be very catastrophic, as well. That’s my only concern there.”
Precinct 2 Commissioner Wayne Bubela noted that for an extra $2,500, the county would be doubling its coverage, to which Sklar agreed.
“Your deductible is also doubling, but if you get in that position that extra deductible is minimal,” Bubela said. “To me, when you look at it, you get more bang for your buck with the higher coverage.”
The commissioners and Sklar unanimously voted for the $1 million coverage. The total cost will be $60,841, which covers everything.
In other business, commissioners: Approved the minutes of a previous meeting; Approved budget amendments, line-item transfers, and revenue certifications for Fiscal Year 2025 budget; Approved payment from Solar Proponents, LLC, for road damages on County Roads 215 and 217 in Precinct 2; Ratified a contract with BLS Construction, Inc., for remodeling of the Service Building; Approved an application for and a resolution for the State Homeland Security Program LETPA Projects (SHSP-L) through the Office of the Governor, for a $19,000 grant to be used for four portable ADA-compliant walkthrough metal detectors and 16 handheld metal detectors; Approved the revised quote for the TriMark Outdoor Cooler Freezer Combo in the amount of $61,021.53 under Choice Partners Contract for the jail; Approved an agreement with Excela Support and Maintenance Agreement for the library microfilm machine in the amount of $1,481.13; Approved the disposal of surplus and salvage property; Approved an application and resolution for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) through the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) for a generator for the Services Building and another similar application and resolution for a HMGP for a generator for Precinct 2; Approved payment of county and precinct bills; Approved payroll changes; and Heard county reports, news, and information.
