WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS APPROVE ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE SUBSCRIPTION
Washington County Commissioners voted today (Tuesday) to approve a new subscription for antivirus and malware protection software for county devices.
The court agreed to subscribe for 31 months for CrowdStrike Endpoint Protection software, using a total of $49,996 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The subscription will run through December 31, 2026.
Information Technology Director T.J. Harris said the new software is an upgrade over the county’s current service, Microsoft Windows Defender, as it is able to detect cyber threats in real-time and will allow the county to be more proactive in security incidents.
According to Harris, the City of Brenham also uses CrowdStrike, as do state agencies like the Texas Department of Information Resources and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Harris said while roughly $20,000 a year for services is expensive, the county is getting the software at over a 70 percent discount. He also said a single cyberattack would likely cost the county more than that. Commissioner Kirk Hanath said the cost of an attack would include impact to county services and inconveniences for constituents.
In other business, commissioners approved four property access agreements to perform drainage improvement projects along Wiesepape Road in Precinct 1 and Kieke Road and Willow Springs Road in Precinct 4.
County Engineer Wesley Stolz said recent flooding events have “brought to the forefront” many areas where the county needs better drainage. The projects will range from adding, extending or relocating culverts to properly sloping off the sides of right-of-way by the culvert crossings to minimize erosion and improve driver safety.
Hanath said he expects to see more of these property access agreements in the future to help take care of the drainage projects in the works.
Also today, commissioners:
- Approved sending a notice of non-renewal to the current jail medical provider, CorrHealth. Last week, commissioners agreed to enter contract negotiations with MedTrust, doing business as MedHealth, for medical services at the jail. The contract with CorrHealth started in 2021 and lasted for three years.
- Voted to move the next commissioners court meeting on June 4th at 9 a.m. to the Washington County Courthouse Annex. County Judge John Durrenberger said the meeting will include “special ceremonies” and is being moved to a bigger venue in order to accommodate larger crowds that are expected to be in attendance that day.
- Received monthly reports from the sheriff’s office, county and district clerks, justices of the peace, auditor, tax assessor-collector, treasurer, constables and veterans service officer.