Lake County Technology Committee Meeting - Oct 31, 2025

The Lake County Technology Committee convened on October 31, 2025, to address routine consent agenda items, approve five major software contracts for county operations, and receive updates on the paused Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. No public comments were filed. Chair Clark opened the meeting, noting the presence of remote attendance via Zoom and the absence of Members Roberts and Peterson.

Consent Calendar

• Item 8.1: Unanimously approved the consent agenda via motion by Member Dan Forth and second by Member Frank.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were offered or heard during the session.

Discussion Items

• Gov Delivery Contract (Item 8.2): Chief Communications Officer Tammy Chapman and Deputy Communications Officer Alex Carr presented a joint resolution to contract with Granicus Denver for $71,531.85. The contract expands the county's subscriber capacity from 291,000 to 350,000 contacts for fiscal year 2026. Member Frank asked if the new ERP system would eventually replace this email platform; Chair Clark noted the answer was unknown and the matter was deferred for follow-up.
• DFM Associates Agreement (Item 8.3): Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega recommended a 5-year agreement for $191,868 to continue using DFM Associates for voter registration and election data management, citing the vendor's unique full-suite capabilities and the high cost and risk of data conversion to a new vendor. Member Frank expressed concern regarding cybersecurity and data integrity. Mr. Vega assured the committee that data resides on a secure server with firewalls managed in coordination with Enterprise IT, and that an exit clause exists in the contract to allow for non-renewal if a better vendor emerges.
• Xvision Inc. Contract (Item 8.4): County Engineer Shane Schneider recommended a contract renewal up to $87,238 (appropriating $105,000 from sales tax funds) for construction and materials management software. The software tracks pay items and daily work logs for DOT contractors via a Microsoft cloud-based platform. Member Frank inquired if the software manages fixed equipment costs; Mr. Schneider clarified it only tracks contracted work costs, not county inventory. Regarding data security, Mr. Schneider confirmed data is hosted in the Microsoft cloud via secure login but noted the data is largely public information available through FOIA requests.
• Project Tracker System (Item 8.5): A resolution was presented to appropriate $145,000 for the DOT's project tracker software, the industry standard used by CMAP, IDOT, and 40 states for transportation programming. The system provides public transparency via a mapping module and allows interoperability with CMAP for federally funded projects. Members expressed support for the data sharing capabilities that help prevent project redundancies across neighboring counties.
• CoreView Renewal (Item 8.6): Chief Information Officer Chris Glanding and CTO Eric Carlson presented a $134,347 contract renewal for CoreView software, which automates Microsoft environment account provisioning (reducing setup time by 90%) and enforces security configurations across 28 departments. The committee discussed the necessity of third-party tools for enterprise management, with Member Dan Forth noting the competitive landscape and Microsoft's tendency to acquire such startups. The system is scheduled for annual review to assess potential competitors.
• ERP Implementation Update (Item 9.1): Administrator Sutton and the project team reported that the Workday ERP implementation is paused following end-to-end testing which revealed foundational gaps in the financial data model and insufficient change management. The committee determined that the team attempted to replicate existing legacy workflows rather than adopting the software's native efficiencies. Administrator Sutton explained that the rapid implementation methodology prioritized configuration over organizational change management, a known challenge. The team is working with the system integrator to reset workflows and ensure the system is maximally efficient before resuming. A new go-live timeline of July, September, or October 2026 is anticipated to meet the ARPA funding deadline while addressing these strategic adjustments. Members expressed strong approval of the decision to pause to avoid costly future workarounds.
• BEAD and Digital Equity Updates (Item 9.2): Digital Equity Manager Kay Crandall and Coordinator Kim Lund provided updates on the Illinois BEAD proposal and digital navigator programs. The state has submitted its final proposal to the NTIA, with provisional awards expected to become final in January 2026. Maps show four providers (including Amazon, Comcast, ATT, and Strategic Management) receiving awards to bring fiber, coaxial, and satellite services to underserved areas, with fiber being the primary technology for future-proofing. New staff members (Anna Edot, Chanel Garrett, Khalila Clark) joined the team, bringing the total to 10. Through September, the program has served 3,286 residents, held 2,464 sessions, and distributed 806 devices. Vice Chair Kasmin commended the coalition meetings for fostering partnerships between organizations.

Key Outcomes

• Contract Approvals: Unanimously approved contracts for:
  • Granicus Denver ($71,531.85) for Gov Delivery.
  • DFM Associates ($191,868 annually) for election management.
  • Xvision Inc. (up to $87,238, $105,000 appropriation) for DOT construction management.
  • Lake County Project Tracker ($145,000 appropriation) for planning software.
  • CoreView ($134,347) for Microsoft environment automation.
• ERP Pause: Official confirmation that the Workday ERP implementation is paused to conduct a strategic review of data models and change management processes, with a target go-live date between July and October 2026.
• Minutes and Adjournment: Committee approved the postponement of the periodic review of closed session minutes indefinitely. Executive session minutes from March 28, 2025, and May 2, 2025, were approved. The meeting was adjourned, with a note that future meetings will be scheduled prior to January 30 due to holiday cancellations.