City staff recommends new GIS/IT roles and $54,600 yearly cybersecurity layer to replace third‑party hosting

City staff told the commission they want to replace third‑party hosting for the city’s public GIS portal with an in‑house solution and new staff to manage it.

City Manager (city manager) explained ESRI will no longer support the city’s third‑party managed portal and "it would really behoove the city to hire a GIS manager so we can create our own hosted portal." The city manager said the migration cannot be done overnight and proposed a transition plan that includes a GIS manager position and an IT manager to plan and oversee the move.

On cybersecurity, the finance/city manager presentation included an operational recommendation for an additional layer of cybersecurity protection with an annual cost of $54,600. The city manager said: "From an operational standpoint, I would highly recommend that this decision package be moved forward...this is an extra layer of cyber security, would be the $54,600." Staff argued in‑house IT will become more cost‑effective over time than paying per‑license and per‑help‑call fees to a third‑party provider.

Timing and cost control: staff proposed phased start dates (for example, January 1 for recurring personnel to capture first‑quarter savings) so recurring hires do not fully draw the annual cost in the first quarter. The city manager said those recurring positions and conversion decisions are being proposed subject to available funding and would be reflected in the final budget once certified revenues are received.

Next steps: commissioners asked about timing and are awaiting final revenue certification before making funding decisions. If approved, staff would return with a transition plan and job descriptions for the new GIS and IT roles.