Board approves VPN access and hears offer for county IT assessment; vendor outlines cybersecurity review

The Madison County Board of Supervisors approved resolutions granting VPN access to named elected officials and heard a presentation about a peer‑led county IT assessment.

Supervisors approved VPN access for a group of elected officials (Swanson, Kaczynski, Johnson and McGuire) and later approved access for Jessica Haas. Board members discussed whether officials who are directly affected (including county attorney participation) should abstain from votes where necessary; the chair advised abstention when the vote directly involves an official’s own access.

Phil Roni, the Iowa State Association of Counties technology resource, described the ICIT assessment process: a team of county IT directors visits for two days, evaluates security, backups and budgets, and produces a three‑part report of findings, a recommended timeline and budget estimates for improvements. Roni said the assessment is offered for a flat $4,000 fee to cover team expenses and recommended holding closed sessions for any material that reveals security vulnerabilities.

County IT staff and supervisors discussed timing and how any final vulnerability report would be handled in closed session. Supervisors directed staff to confirm elected officials’ needs for VPN onboarding and to consider adding VPN access to an onboarding checklist for newly elected officials.