Leesburg Technology and Communication Commission Meeting – August 4, 2026

The Technology and Communication Commission met on August 4, 2026, to discuss public outreach events, IT department updates, cybersecurity threats, and technology priorities. The meeting included approval of previous minutes and updates on upcoming public programming.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of meeting minutes: Motion carried unanimously by voice vote (aye).

Discussion Items

Public Outreach Events

• Commissioner Amanda reported on an upcoming cybersecurity‑for‑kids event scheduled for August 5, 2026, at 6 PM at the library, with ice cream and a trivia night afterward. The town’s PIO created promotional material.
• She shared that feedback from previous events has been positive, and that the next event should not be held in September due to school and sports schedules. October or November are being considered, possibly focusing on AI‑related content.
• Amanda is coordinating with Evergreen Elementary’s PTA and counseling staff to tie future programming into school reinforcement. She expressed a desire to pilot an AI safety workshop in November.
• Discussion ensued about balancing safety tips with a friendly tone so children aged 6–12 are not afraid of AI. Commissioners agreed that schools are currently restricting AI use but that it will become more prevalent.
• Amanda proposed a DECA‑style technology competition for grades 5–8, citing an example from a Colorado town that implemented a winning solution. She asked for volunteers to lead that effort separately from her children’s programming.
• Commissioner John described a capture‑the‑flag (CTF) hackathon idea for older students, which could be tied to digitized historical records. He expressed interest in developing a CTF with local technology companies, but noted the need to understand town sponsorship regulations.
• Several commissioners volunteered to collaborate on CTF and competition ideas, with the goal of diversifying the commission’s outreach beyond the current kids’ programs.

IT Department Staffing

• The department announced the hiring of Kyla Murphy as a network administrator, starting August 10. She will have a three‑week overlap with a retiring network administrator. The IT team is also preparing for another upcoming retirement.

Cybersecurity Update

• The IT director provided an update on a cybersecurity incident affecting the water/wastewater sector in Minnesota (over 30 utilities compromised). Leesburg’s utilities were not affected because they use a private cellular network and different devices. As a precaution, passwords were changed and network traffic is being closely monitored.
• There has been a significant uptick in financial phishing emails targeting town staff. The town’s cybersecurity training, quarterly phishing simulations, and email security tools (safe links, etc.) are working, but staff remain vigilant. The IT director emphasized treating every anomalous event as a potential crisis, including verifying any unusual VPN or email activity by voice confirmation.

IT General Controls Audit

• A nine‑month project was kicked off to prepare the IT department for an IT general controls audit, covering six categories: security management, access control, segregation of duties, configuration and change management, contingency planning, and financial systems controls. The goal is to be audit‑ready at all times.

Rising Hardware Costs

• Due to increased global demand for RAM (driven by AI), the cost of servers and laptops has risen sharply. The department has postponed a virtual environment refresh and a backup system upgrade, instead extending warranties. An imaging server that was budgeted at $5,000 came in at over $10,000; the department repurposed and upgraded an existing server to avoid the cost. Similar cost‑saving measures are being applied to PC replacements.

AI Working Group

• The first AI use‑case application intake has been received from the energy department: using AI to analyze utility bills for potential savings. The AI Working Group will vote on the use case. Workshops for other departments are being scheduled, with the expectation that the team may need to proactively engage some departments.

Commissioner Comments

• Commissioner John thanked Amanda for her efforts and reminded everyone that the next regular meeting will be on September 1, 2026.
• Several commissioners commended the IT department’s proactive cybersecurity posture and the value of positive technology programming to counterbalance negative perceptions about data centers.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous approval of previous meeting minutes.
• Decision to skip public outreach events in September; next events planned for October and November 2026.
• Commissioner Amanda will continue organizing kids’ programming but will hand off the next event to another commissioner; John and others will work on capture‑the‑flag and competition‑style events.
• The IT department will proceed with the onboarding of Kyla Murphy on August 10 and continue the nine‑month IT general controls audit project.
• No new funding or policy changes were voted on; all items were informational or directed future staff work.