Good morning, everybody.

And welcome to the CTIS committee meeting for uh March 4th, 2026, 8 30 in the morning in the executive conference uh room in attendance.

Council Carter is here.

Okay.

Uh Councilman Warrenal.

And Sherry Rudy here.

Um we will have first a uh motion for the approval of the minutes from February 4th, 2026.

Do I have a motion to approve?

Uh motion to approve the minutes for February 4th, 2026.

The minutes will move.

Uh all in favor?

Hi.

Okay.

We have no citizens here to be heard on agenda items, so we'll move for the first agenda item, which is uh 9578 award of contract to center for contract to center for internet security.

Uh so CIS for CrowdStrike endpoint security solution, the amount of 65,142 dollars.

Yeah, so uh CIS is actually a nonprofit organization that is partially funded by Homeland Security.

Um they give us a really deep discount and they just CrowdStrike endpoint security software, which is at high level, it's just our antivirus software, right?

It's you know, it replaced uh trend micro that we had here for many years.

We replaced this back in 2022.

Um we've been very happy with it as uh you know next generation uh endpoint management.

We have about 987 devices that are protected by CrowdStrike.

Um this allows us to do everything from we have a uh a virus, we hear about it, somebody calls it in to us, we can just with a couple clicks of a button lock that machine down, quarantine it without actually physically going to it first.

Um also uh CIS helps us by monitoring our systems proactively for us, so after hours and things of that nature, they also can help us with those things.

Uh this is just a renewal of our our current contract with them.

Any questions?

How many um uh what is it called?

Virus detections that we have well software that we have.

We only have this.

I think we have more than one, right?

Oh, absolutely.

Yeah, we we so we move for different layers.

Uh yeah, we use it, it's called uh security layers in depth.

So uh, you know, we have I think it was last meeting or two meetings ago, you know, we were getting uh Minecast, which is kind of our web filtering, but that also does uh MP protection, that there's an agent on all of our devices.

We have numerous layers uh of security.

Yeah.

Um is there one that like a one do all, or is it better or you have to have it set up the way we have it set up?

Like, yeah, you kind of want to do layers in depth so that they all catch different things.

There is some overlap between the different products.

Um but yeah, you you definitely need different products for different things.

They they they specialize in different areas.

So given that statement, what would you say the specialty of this one is?

This is solely antivirus.

So this yeah, this runs on every device we have.

Um it's a little different than the old school antivirus where you know you have to actually click the scan your computer button and hope that you know it caught something.

And just debog it down.

100%.

This is actually um, as soon as you, for example, plug a flash drive into your laptop, before you can access that flash drive, it's already scanned the whole entire flash drive.

Um any file that comes in is automatically scanned.

Anytime you try to put anything on the machine.

So it's uh it's a real-time like non-stop uh scanning going on on your machine.

Um and it all runs in the background, you don't notice it.

You don't ever have to kick off those like big company-wide scans that like you said, you know, I'm a Wednesday morning, everybody knows better go grab a coffee.

It'll be 20 minutes before I can use my computer again.

Like those days are kind of over.

This does real time at all at all times.

Yeah.

All right.

Um would we like to make a motion?

Motion.

Uh motion to approve.

A second.

All in favor?

Hi.

Okay.

Our next agenda item is award contract to UNA.

Is that how they say it?

You know.

Um procurement in the amount of $26,500.

So you know, you guys have heard about this product a whole bunch.

They've uh rebranded.

They this is actually uh bonfire.

So this is our e-procurement system.

Um, this is a renewal of our licensing for this year.

So this is you know how we send out you know our bits, RFPs, everything uh in the digital world.

Um we are purchasing has made another big push this year, and we are trying to, as an organization, just push everything through uh UNA at this point, as opposed to just doing the the old, you know, I need three quotes and stuff like that.

If we can put it in there, we're absolutely it's much more transparent, it's a lot easier for uh all the vendors to also submit things.

Um I can tell you internally just from IT, we we've started using it more and more.

Uh it is really nice for the fact that it it streamlined the whole bid process.

It used to be really cumbersome for us to put together the bid package to get things out or an RFP to put it out.

Uh you know, working with Milton has really helped us like streamline that whole thing.

We we basically get to just put the core of what we understand in and quickly purchasing evil layer on additional documents to get our bids out really quickly.

Um it's made us a lot more efficient here.

So is this an industry industry wide like standard now, like where people are are aware of this?

I will say we I was actually just having a conversation a couple weeks ago with Milk about this.

Like we've had zero negative feedback from you know, uh third party and contractors.

They this is how it is everywhere else.

This is really this is actually brought us up into the current age.

This is how everyone does it.

And and Bonfire or Eminon is used in a lot of places.

So most of our contractors already have clouds and they're familiar with it because they've used it in other cities and communities.

They probably appreciate it too.

Yes.

Something else that's pretty cool too, is um they have a big network, so vendors will uh create an account for Joliet, sign up to receive notifications for things for Joliet.

However, um there is a bigger network, so even if someone isn't specifically signed up for Joliet, they um they can get notification that you know we've opened up a bid for something.

So I mean it it it expands our reach significantly too.

So more vendors, potential vendors and things like that.

Yeah, because you don't know what you don't know is out there and do the quick kind of like build build connect, build and connect is like um is that software where vendor or contractors go in or cities, municipalities, whatever.

Um they go on there, they submit them to bid, right?

So is that how kind of Bonfire works?

Yes.

Yep.

And then like you send it meeting out to everyone, and not just people that are signed up.

Yep.

So you're part of that network, then again, how you're gonna get access to now digital, but you're reaching out to other vendors that might have signed up for a different municipality and now see how you'll get software and something.

It's also easy for we we've seen it on one of our recent uh one of the things we have out there right now for bid.

Um you can see like the the aggregators, they come in and they pick up our packets too, and so they they're redistributed.

It makes it a lot easier for them to do that.

Um so yeah, it is a is a great way for us to put things out.

And uh I don't I don't think we've had it up and running long enough to get real data on like are we getting more responses using this?

I would suspect if you know I was a betting man, I would say we we probably are gonna get a lot more responses using this stuff that we were getting in the past.

How long do we have it up and running?

Uh we started it's been at least about a year.

About a year, but it was not forced, I want to say until this year we it was you know, kind of uh a beta phase where departments were asked to use it and they were sampling it, but they were still submitting things the whole way also.

So we were in both worlds where this year we've kind of pushed everything's gotta go through.

Yep.

Okay, cool.

All right, talking about motion to approve TNP 9580.

Second.

All in favor?

Okay.

Um 9582 award of contract two cities digital ink for laser beach document management system, annual renewal in the amount of 75,050.

All right.

Um so this is our document management system.

Uh again, we we implemented this back in 2022.

This replaced our old uh content verse document management system.

Uh after a full migration of all of that information over, we started kicking off uh annual projects basically with different departments.

Uh we do backscan projects, so we've massively eliminated the amount of paper files that is around the building have gone away.

Uh we're actually only have a couple departments left on that.

Um it's amazing.

I remember when you were starting that, it's just like, oh my gosh, yes.

How will it ever happen?

I'm sorry.

Oh no, no.

Um, and then you know, it became kind of critical daily use for like the city core, KHR, uh community development.

I mean, they're in these this system every day.

That's where they store uh a large amount of their files.

Um and then we also are have started using it more and more for digital form creation.

Um we use it for things like our on duty injury forms, uh our special events, which is one of the craziest workflows you could ever imagine if every department basically has to weigh in on special events, and uh you know, our business grants get submitted through the laser fish system.

Uh and we just continue to expand it.

Like that is uh it's one of our go-to platforms now for any kind of digital form that we need to long-term store the return product.

So this is our our annual renewal.

Um is there a special events form getting any better?

Like I've seen it and I tried to help somebody through, and I'm like, so we are actually uh um long term we are looking at and we'll probably be talking about this next month, is we've briefly talked about it last year, the enterprise permitting licensing software that we're gonna be bringing forward.

That is kind of a long-term target for the special permit the purchasing process for all of that.

Um that'll probably be much smoother and streamlined the system.

Uh this is definitely a snap gap to get us there, but it it is very cumbersome and it it is oftentimes I I think that's something also like and is working on making the form make sense if you're doing a smaller event, you might not need to fill out this absorbing form.

Yeah, it's it is a food truck outside.

Yes, exactly.

Yeah, they have the food truck outside.

Right now it's just one form is like the catch-all for everything, and then it's a beast.

Yeah.

I don't have to express that to hand and she's you know that she's got her team going that they're working on, yeah, because it's definitely a key.

It's stopping a lot of events from happening, and you said it's uh you know, you need to simplify it and streamline it.

Oh, it's intimidating.

Yeah, absolutely.

Can't can't they just make like a new form?

Like instead of one size fits all, can't you just hey download a new form?

Hey, and do yeah, this is what you have to do if it's a small time thing.

I think the biggest issue that I learned that the what I learned was that like even if it is something as simple as like I want to have a food truck outside of my building and close the streets, but you still have to like notify police, fire everyone so they're aware because what if I close that street, but then you can't close that street that day because we have.

So that's the issue is kind of how do you every department has to be on the same page that be it being aware of whether you're doing a food truck or you're gonna have a a thousand people festival.

So it kind of I get that part of it, so it's one of those like you said, there's a way for them to just check off and know that they're aware and close their street.

But yeah, this is working on that.

Yeah, this is what we would, you know, in our world we look at is this is less of a technology issue.

It's more of a it's more of a process issue that they have here.

And then we transform it into technology by streamlined.

Yeah, we need a more streamlined process here for the whole intake.

And then to your point, then it's easy to make a form.

But yeah, we did no, there's no process right now.

You know, CC, everybody, all right.

Hey, can we do it or not?

I don't know.

I think the problem is there's not a form even on paper, yeah.

To say maybe 10 to the Thomas maybe.

Yeah, maybe a form.

Yeah, so yeah, that was good.

Yep, I got a motion to approve TMP 9582.

Uh okay.

All favor?

Alright.

All right, so old uh older new business stuff and final.

I have a question.

Um, how are we doing on the um uh technology portion for the um the home inspections?

Are we is that moving forward?

Yeah, so that is EPL.

Um so we just finished uh negotiating uh better pricing.

Um and we are now we we plan to bring that to the next committee meeting next week.

Oh, okay, good.

Yeah, yeah.

So we are it's moving along.

It was uh our initial pricing was a little a little higher than we were uh willing to accept, so we we spent a few weeks going back and forth and working that down.

So it looks like we're gonna have a good streamline process now.

Yeah, it's not that.

I do have a comment.

Um so it's more of a yeah, it's common.

Um I don't know if it's an IT thing or if it's more of uh department issue or yeah.

So I for example, yeah, I had a couple people have had problems putting these on the zoning board.

Whether it's you know, not big developers, you know, small time people.

Um so the question is I understand.

Well, we go on the on the let's say what is it?

Um, it's uh god darn it.

I looked at it on the computer, but I know it's your developers, right?

an IT thing or if it's more of a department issue or yeah so I for example yeah I had a a couple people have had problems putting things on the zoning board whether it's you know not big developers you know small time people um so the question is I understand when we go on the on the let's say what is it on this yeah no it's um god darn it I look at uh the computer but make sure developers right so you know is there a you know you have your handbook for developers but not everybody's like a big time developer so is there a way that we can kind of simplify it uh like for example you have the dates and then um you know you just have the dates for the for someone that's trying to put something on the zoning board and then if you don't meet or deadlines you know I guess that's another thing that they've been struggling with is deadlines or they submit something and then um someone from the planning department say hey you s you need these five more things and then they get them like oh now you need five more things is there like a one form do all or is it you kind of get what I'm saying?

Yes.

Yeah um is that more like a department issue is that an IT thing it's more of a planning thing.

Oh okay I can definitely let them know that it's a concern um we're also in the midst of kind of revamping the website anyways supposed to be a good time for them to kind of look at those things.

Yeah we can run the handbook it's I don't know I forgot how many specific development no just like no just businesses or yeah small businesses you don't mind pop shops you don't not everybody has I don't get like big time attorneys I did have uh just on that I did talk with Paulina on economic development and she was trying to put together a like a a smaller hand because we had that same issue like you said like even like if I'm trying to open up a restaurant a coffee shop or whatever yeah but then like you say you don't know everything that is kind of required.

Yeah and I know Paulina's an economic developer is working on a something to simplify a process to give people a better and and then to have an understanding of how long it typically takes.

So like in if I'm trying to open up something and I want to open up in February January I want to open February like well no this is a three to six month process yeah so you're aware this is a three to six month process.

Because it has to go through all the but Paulina is working on something as well so I think that could be a planning and it'll come back to you but eventually eventually then you have to have that then it's like then it has to go to digital okay but that is something that's a good idea.

It's a I've had the same issue people telling me so I'm just you know just trying to make these like simpler like so people can know what to expect.

Yes yeah exactly because you're not professional people are like what do you mean I gotta pay rent at this place for three months and then maybe I get it.

Yeah and you know sometimes it makes a break some business you know and I for sure small business you know big corporations they can handle it but they send their lawyers at the end yeah so that's just the comments all right well um I think that's it.

We don't have any public here for public comment so uh do we have a motion to adjourn?

All in favor?

Alright okay thank you.

Thank you.