Rising Sun adopts updated fiscal policy to strengthen internal controls and cybersecurity

The Town of Rising Sun approved Resolution 20-23-11 on June 13 to update its fiscal policy with specific internal controls and cybersecurity requirements.

Town Administrator Bonenberger told commissioners the updates codify practices staff already follow—particularly around credit-card processing and cybersecurity—and ensure those policies remain in place if current staff change. The policy clarifies that staff will not record credit-card numbers manually and will rely on secure systems that render stored card numbers unrecoverable.

Bonenberger said the town's earlier lack of internal controls had led to incidents of theft in the 2000s and that the new policy formalizes stronger safeguards. "We're going to key that into the system. And then once it's in the system, you can't go back and retrieve that number," he said. The board voted to adopt Resolution 20-23-11 by voice vote.