Leesburg IT Advisory Commission Meeting – June 2, 2026
Leesburg IT Advisory Commission Meeting – June 2, 2026
The Leesburg IT Advisory Commission met on June 2, 2026, at approximately 7:00 PM (as indicated by adjournment at 7:35 PM). The meeting was called to order by the Acting Chair, with a quorum of four members present. The agenda included approval of previous minutes, old business on a public outreach cybersecurity event, new business on the network administrator hiring process and the AI working group, and comments from commissioners and the IT director.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the May 5, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously (4-0) without changes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public addressed the commission during the meeting.
Discussion Items
- Old Business – Public Outreach Event (Cybersecurity Presentation): Amanda had prepared a draft presentation on cybersecurity and AI safety for children ages 6–12. She had contacted Balch Library and proposed dates: June 22 (Monday), June 23 (Tuesday), or June 24 (Wednesday) from 6–8 PM, with a preference for Tuesday, June 23. Commissioners reviewed the presentation slides and expressed strong approval, noting the content was age-appropriate and engaging. They agreed to proceed with the June 23 date at Balch Library and directed that the PIO office be engaged for promotion. Amanda also suggested a future session on AI safety in July.
- New Business – Network Administrator Interview Process: John reported that the position was advertised in April, receiving about 40 applicants. Six candidates were selected for interviews. One interview had been conducted the previous day; the remaining five were scheduled for Thursday, June 4. After interviews, candidates will undergo a practical lab exam. The new hire will work alongside the retiring network administrator for a couple of months and help with the SD‑WAN deployment.
- New Business – AI Working Group Update: John provided an update on the town’s AI working group. The group has established policy guardrails and is engaging department representatives. Use cases are being collected, including a $6,000 saving identified by evaluating quotes with AI. Training classes (e.g., Mastering Copilot) are being offered to staff. The group is also exploring sandbox testing for workflow improvements. Commissioners discussed expanding training to field staff and potential integration with other town systems.
- Commissioner Comments: No comments were offered by commissioners present.
- Council Member Comments: Skipped due to absence of Council Member Steinberg.
- Information Technology Director Comments (Acting Director John Callahan): John noted several upcoming items: the Granicus system (streaming, website, texting) renewal will be on a consent agenda for a three-year contract; Microsoft renewal is in progress; and a Comcast franchise agreement extension memo will be presented to the Town Council on June 23. The agreement covers only cable TV service. John also mentioned the evolving ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard and encouraged commissioners to follow the FCC process.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes Approved: Unanimous 4-0 vote.
- Public Outreach Event: Commission agreed to hold the cybersecurity presentation on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 6–8 PM at Balch Library, with promotion by the PIO office.
- Network Administrator Hiring: Interview process ongoing; practical exam to follow; no decisions made yet.
- AI Working Group: Continued development of use cases and training; no formal votes taken.
- Upcoming Actions: The Granicus renewal will be considered by the Town Council as part of a consent agenda; the Comcast franchise agreement extension will be presented on June 23.
Meeting Transcript
As the acting chair, I hereby call this meeting of June the second, 2026 to order. I'll establish a quorum. There are four of us here. And so and the chair deems that as a quorum four out of seven. Do we have to vote for that? No. Okay. Will you join me, please? And 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. Under God. Liberty Justice for all. Thank you. Gentlemen. You have in front of you the minutes of the meeting from May 5, 2026. You've probably reviewed it. Does anybody have any changes of note? If not, then I will uh entertain a motion to approve the minutes. Make motion to approve the minutes as they stand. Do I have a second? Seconded. Thank you. In the opinion of the chair. Oh, now we have to vote, right? All in favor say aye. Aye. All not favor. In the opinion of the chair, we have a four to zero approval of the minutes. I ask you to look at your agenda, and we have a line item called old business and public outreach. There's a discussion, and I believe that uh John has said that Amanda has some sent something in for us to review. So Amanda sent a couple emails. Um was the presentation, and to hear put that up in front of you there. Can you at least put it on the projectors so Owen I can see? Give that a second. Um so she sent another email today. One of the things that she did was reach out to the Balch Library Director on a couple of occasions over the course of the last month, and has come back with a couple of dates, uh, one being June 22nd. Um, and then let's see, week, Tuesday and Wednesday evening from six to eight second, which is a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so 23rd and 24th. Um Tuesday would be the 22nd is something that you would do. But she was talking about you guys to discuss and get back. Uh she created draft presentation. I think I only have one of them, the cybersecurity. I didn't put the other one in. Um she did deliver both of those presentations this weekend at elementary school and went over well, and then finally cybersecured or cyber safety first as they head in the summer, then maybe in July in AI safety. So in addition, it might be good idea to run a spot the fake AI fake program as well. So she has a draft deck that she's working on for that. So I think what she's looking is for some discussion if there's anything, you know, any dates that you want to confirm with or or chat with. I think she's looking for um and then to give back to her. I can also, you know, if it comes down to deciding it, I'll do the notice of public gathering as well for the date of the event, and we can work with our PIO office to get that uh uh evangelized as well out to the community.
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