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Consideration of request by Finance and Information Technology Directors to amend the 2025 budget for the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program
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Submitted by:
John Ruggini and Jalal Ali
Department:
Finance and Information Technology
A. Issue
The City of Wauwatosa was selected to receive $100,000 through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP). This is a federally funded initiative administered through the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities across local governments. A level three fund transfer is required to provide expenditure authority.
B. Background/Options
The City of Wauwatosa was selected to receive $100,000 through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP). This is a federally funded initiative administered through the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities across local governments.
The City's application focused on two priority areas identified by federal and state guidance:
1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to reduce unauthorized access risks and protect sensitive systems such as CJIS-connected platforms, public safety applications, and workforce accounts.
2. Managed Detection and Response (MDR) to enhance real-time monitoring, threat detection, and incident response across the City's approximately 500 endpoints, including critical systems supporting Police, Fire, Dispatch, and core municipal operations. The City has partnered with the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a public-private entity funded in part by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to provide this MDR service. This partnership gives the City access to CIS's 24-hour Security Operations Center and nationally coordinated threat intelligence at a significantly reduced cost compared to commercial offerings. In addition to improving overall cybersecurity readiness, the MDR service increases the efficiency of City IT staff by filtering out f...
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