Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Lake County Technology Committee met on October 2, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. via in-person and remote attendance (Zoom). Chair Hart called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call showed members Altenberg, Cosman (with notice), Roberts (possibly absent), and Forth (Alterberg) absent with prior notice. The meeting covered several resolutions, a broadband update, an ERP system implementation update, and a director’s report.
Item 8.2 – Joint Resolution for Audio-Visual Upgrade in Courtroom 201: Lisa Wolf (Director of Finance for the Courts) and Winnie Weber (Director of Technology) presented a contract with Conference Technologies Inc. of Itasca, Illinois for $39,659 to replace equipment in courtroom 201 that has reached its end of useful life (15–17 years old). The upgrade will remove VHS capabilities and upgrade the monitor in the largest civil division courtroom. Member Frank commended maximizing the useful life. The resolution passed unanimously (motion by Frank, second by Peterson).
Item 8.3 – Joint Resolution Approving a Dig Once Policy: Betsy Brandon (Assistant County Administrator) and Kim Lunt (Digital Equity Coordinator) presented the Dig Once Policy, which standardizes annual coordination among Lake County land departments around five-year underground projects. The policy aims to minimize community disruption, encourage ISP infrastructure alignment, and promote digital equity. It was identified as a strategy in the Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plan adopted in December 2023. Questions from members focused on communication tools (e.g., GIS templates) and ensuring minimum specifications for department processes. The resolution passed unanimously (motion by Kasbin, second by Frank). Chair Hart expressed excitement, noting the policy will improve coordination and reduce repeated digging.
Item 9.1 – Broadband Update: Kate Crandall (Digital Equity Manager) and Kim Lunt provided updates on BEAD funding: Illinois received NTIA approval on August 25, 2025, and a notice of award from NIST on September 22, 2026, initiating a six-month timeline for grant agreements. In Lake County, 1,929 locations will be served: 1,248 by fiber (Strategic Management and Illinois Bell/AT&T) and 502 by satellite (Amazon). Chair Hart expressed disappointment that satellite lacks affordability components and that Amazon received billions without guaranteed discounts for residents. Crandall noted that the change was due to federal “benefit of the bargain” rules, and that competition from local ISPs is increasing. Public Wi-Fi pilot projects in Waukegan and North Chicago (funded by ARPA) have equipment ordered; installation expected by the end of 2026. A video highlighted summer youth employment program: 121 participants received digital skills training and laptops. Metrics from August 2025 to August 2026: over 6,600 residents served, over 6,200 learning sessions, nearly 2,000 devices distributed (cumulative over 2,000), over 5,500 hours of digital navigator instruction, and over 20,000 hours of participant engagement. The Digital Equity Coalition meeting had 47 attendees from 27 organizations; planning meetings for a partner-led continuation are scheduled for October and November.
Item 9.2 – ERP System Implementation Update: CIO Chris Blanding (remote) and Patrice Evans (ERP Program Manager) reported that the project is in parallel testing for payroll, comparing August 2026 legacy payroll to Workday processing. Goal is 95% accuracy in the first three-week period and 99% in the second; results are in the upper 80s to low 90s percent so far, which Strata (the implementer) considers impressive. End-to-end testing is behind schedule but a contingency phase is underway; business-critical tests are being executed with one-on-one guidance. Financial data validation is ongoing. Cutover planning (with 600–700 tasks) has started; data for the gold tenant (production environment) will be built next week. Change management includes newsletters, department meetings, a change champion network, and a dedicated Workday page on the employee portal. Training is targeted for November and December. Go-live is scheduled for December 1, 2026, with phased rollouts to functions. Chair Hart and members praised the thorough approach and emphasized the importance of change management. The project uses ARPA funding and is on time.
Director’s Report: CIO Chris Blanding announced October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The annual required security awareness training is delivered via a “Ninjo” video (theme: “don’t make it easy for them”) with John Lovett as a fan favorite. Monthly phishing tests are conducted; employees who fail receive follow-up education. Chair Hart noted the increasing threat of AI voice spoofing and asked about trends; Blanding confirmed tracking and can present quarterly stats.
Today is October 2nd, 2026, and I call the Lake County Technology Committee meeting to order at 8 30 a.m. In addition to being able to attend in person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom at the link on the agenda. This meeting is being recorded through Zoom. Can you please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation underground, indivisible liberty and justice for all. Can I get a roll call, please? Uh member Altenberg is absent. West Chair Cosman here. He's also absent with notice. Yeah. Okay. Uh member Frank? Here. Member Peterson. Uh Member Roberts. Maybe she's all right. Um, let's see. Our do we have any public comments today? No public comment. There's no chairs remarks, no unfinished business. Our new business is the consent agenda. Item 8.1. Can I get a motion and second? Motion I buy uh Frank, second by Kasmin. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. All right. Item 8.2 is a joint resolution authorizing a contract with Conference Technologies Inc. of Itasca, Illinois in the amount of 39,659 to upgrade the existing nomad cart audio visual system in courtroom 201. Can I get a motion in a second? Motion by Frank, second by Peterson. Good morning. Hi, good morning. Lisa Wolf, Director of Finance for the Courts. With me is Winnie Weber, our director of technology. This is a contract to replace some equipment that has reached its end of its useful life. Winnie was just telling me that it has been what, 15 to 17 years that this equipment did actually survive. What we're looking to do is uh replace the equipment that is inside one of the podiums for courtroom 201 and do away with the VHS capabilities. And we're taking this opportunity to also um upgrade the the monitor that's in that room as it is one of our it I it is the largest courtroom in the civil division. And so this way it'll actually give you know everyone the ability to see the documents. Oh wow.