Cochecton budgets for hi-tech disaster

LINDA DROLLINGER
Posted 10/24/18

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — The likelihood of a shadowy criminal organization holding for ransom online documents and/or personal data belonging to the Town of Cochecton and its residents seems …

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Cochecton budgets for hi-tech disaster

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LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — The likelihood of a shadowy criminal organization holding for ransom online documents and/or personal data belonging to the Town of Cochecton and its residents seems remote at this time. Should it happen, though, Cochecton is prepared.

Heeding advice from the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR), Supervisor Gary Maas announced at the October 10 Cochecton Town Board meeting that the town has purchased cyber security insurance for reimbursement of expenses associated with recovery from hacking and data theft. Asked if the insurance would pay a ransom demand of any amount, Maas said he thought it would. He added that a more likely cyber disaster scenario would be theft of personal and credit card data used in online tax payments, and said that, too, would be covered under the new policy. The cost of the new cyber security insurance policy will be $200 to $300 in annual premiums.

Cyber security was only one of several topics relating to unforeseeable hi-tech expenditures that were part of the town’s 2019 budget preparation. In 2018, the town was caught off guard by hefty, unbudgeted sewer plant upgrade and repair costs. Maas mentioned that sudden need for new highway department equipment could be catastrophic, easily reaching $250,000 for replacement of a dump truck. Although the findings of a recent audit by the Office of the New York State Comptroller will not be released until November, one of the auditor’s preliminary recommendations was that the town establish a fund balance policy for just such contingencies.

In the recent past, Cochecton has kept a surplus balance in its general fund account that allowed it to “borrow” from that fund to replenish any other account that might be in sudden need, like the sewer or highway department funds. Former board member Larry Richardson recalled how that practice came in handy when extreme weather resulted in costly flood damage. Surplus money in the general fund account was used until Federal Emergency Management Agency funding came through. The challenge before the board now is to decide what percentage of the total budget should be allocated to contingency funding while remaining within the state tax cap.

Before the board went into executive session to consider its stance should the county elect not to renew its transfer station lease, it approved a $40 hi-tech expenditure: a “chip” reader that will allow the dog-control officer to find a lost dog’s owner if the dog has an ear chip containing that information.

lake huntington, NYMIR, Cochecton, cyber security

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