Peoria Standard

The Tazewell County Clerk’s Office recently received two key cybersecurity grants.

County Clerk John Ackerman said the office obtained a $4,127 Federal CyberNavigator grant, which will be used to buy new computers for the county's election division.

Ackerman says the computers will be utilized for the general election in November.

The clerk’s office also received a second Federal CyberNavigator Grant for $1,567.09, which will be used to reimburse the cost of Tazewell County IT staff time. 

Ackerman publically thanked David Zimmerman and his administration for assisting in the grant process.

“I want to thank Tazewell County Board Chairman David Zimmerman, the Tazewell County Board, and their Administration Staff for their assistance in making this grant possible,” Ackerman recently told CIProud.com.

The grant will cover the cost of the new PCs, but the clerk's office will need additional funds to purchase Microsoft Office software for all the computers so they can be upgraded to Windows 10.

“While the CyberNavigator Grant will cover the cost of the new computers, it will not cover the additional $1,237.30 needed for the new Microsoft Office software purchases. Tazewell County Administrator Wendy Ferrill and IT Manager Scott Hizey reviewed their budget and found this additional revenue required to make this project work,” Ackerman said.