Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Consider Reallocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds from the General Administration Allocation to the Critical Infrastructure Technology Upgrades for Digital Security Project and Approval of Amendment No. 2 to the Professional Services Agreement with Infinity Technologies.
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From: Christine Cordon, City Manager
Requested by: Administration
Prepared by: Adolfo Ozaeta, Assistant City Manager
Darin Lenyi, Chief of Police
Karla Santillan, Business Services Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
A. Consider the approval request for the reallocation of ARPA funds in the amount of $800,000 from the General Administration Allocation (Account No. 212300) to the Critical Infrastructure Technology Upgrades for Digital Security Project (Account No. 212305); and, if approved,
B. Approve Amendment No. 2 to the professional services agreement with Infinity Technologies, increasing the not-to-exceed amount from $150,000 to $1,410,000 and increase the term from 12 months to 36 months; and
C. Authorize the City Manager or her designee to execute Amendment No. 2 to the agreement in a form approved by the City Attorney.
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BACKGROUND
The City of Westminster’s Information Technology (IT) Division operates under the direct oversight of the City Manager’s Department and is staffed with six allocated positions responsible for delivering IT services across all City departments. As outlined in the adopted Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget, all six positions are funded; however, the IT Manager and Senior IT Systems Analyst positions remain vacant, resulting in a 33% vacancy rate. To maintain continuity of operations and advance critical IT initiatives, the City Manager’s Office determined that engaging a qualified consultant was necessary to supplement existing staff and conduct a comprehensive assessment of the City’s IT systems.
Cybersecurity is a top priority in ensuring the success of the City’s digital infrastructure. In 2021, based on his extensive knowledge of cybersecurity threats, Chief Darin Lenyi increased the focus on cybersecurity for the City. Leveraging funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the City began implementing advanced cybersecurity software and protocols to protect against phishing and other cyber threats. Key initiatives included the deployment of SentinelOne, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and other essential cybersecurity measures. Since then, the City has continued to strengthen its cybersecurity posture by partnering with leading companies and integrating critical applications.
On March 7, 2025, the City issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Information Technology Management Services. The RFQ process resulted in five vendors being deemed qualified to provide services and support on an as-needed basis. Following a thorough evaluation, Infinity Technologies was selected to provide IT Consulting Services to the City under this RFQ. The remaining four vendors will be contacted for additional services and equipment procurement on an as-need basis.
On April 30, 2025, the City initiated an agreement with Infinity Technologies with a not-to-exceed amount of $100,000 (Attachment 1). As outlined in the scope of work, Infinity Technologies was engaged to perform a comprehensive assessment of the City’s IT systems and to support existing IT staff in advancing key technology initiatives.
On September 24, 2025, the City Council approved Amendment No. 1 to the professional services agreement with Infinity Technologies, increasing the not-to-exceed amount from $100,000 to $150,000 (Attachment 2). The additional funds were necessary to continue to advance key technology initiatives while the comprehensive assessment of the City’s IT systems was being finalized.
IT System Assessment - Key Findings
As part of the agreement, Infinity Technologies completed a comprehensive IT system assessment in November 2025. This assessment includes detailed recommendations focused on cybersecurity, infrastructure modernization, and staffing strategies. Pursuant to California Government Code §7929.210(a), the full IT assessment is exempt from public record, as disclosure of that record would reveal vulnerabilities to, or otherwise increase the potential on, the City’s IT system.
The following, however, is a general description of priorities identified through the assessment process and in collaboration with City staff. The identified solutions of staff augmentation, equipment, and integration are listed after each of the identified priorities:
IT Staffing & Support Analysis
• Need for additional cybersecurity expertise: Additional security personnel will strengthen leadership, workforce continuity, and cybersecurity capacity. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation
• Limited technical leadership capacity. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation
• Reactive help desk operations: Support remains largely reactive, with minimal proactive monitoring or automation. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation and Integration
• Upcoming retirements: Highlighting the need for succession planning. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation and Integration
• Reactive support model. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation and Integration
Environment, Infrastructure, and Applications
• Cybersecurity Posture: While strong tools are in place, gaps remain. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation and Integration
• Data Backup and Recovery: Current systems offer coverage but face challenges such as failed backups, lack of offsite copies, and outdated software. Solution: Staff Augmentation, Equipment, and Integration
• Network Hardware and Asset Inventory: Enterprise-grade equipment is aging. Although the network design is sound, improvements are needed.
Recommendation: Staff Augmentation, Equipment, and Integration
• Cloud Applications and Tools: Microsoft 365 is widely adopted, but opportunities exist to expand its use and migrate additional services to the cloud to enhance collaboration and efficiency. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation and Integration
• Network Architecture and Configuration: The City’s network is well-structured and segmented to balance compliance and performance. However, critical processes require updates to align with best practices. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation and Integration
• Server Infrastructure and Virtualization: Modernization efforts are underway. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation, Equipment, and Integration
• Telecommunications Systems: Consolidation into a unified Mitel platform is progressing, with recommendations for redundancy and fault-tolerance testing. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation and Integration
• End-User Devices (Desktops and Laptops): A mix of desktops, laptops, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is in use. However, legacy systems present challenges to reliability and user experience. Recommendation: Staff Augmentation, Equipment, and Integration
IT Phased Deployment
Infinity Technologies, working collaboratively with the City Manager’s Office and Police Department management, developed a Strategic IT Remediation Roadmap (“Roadmap”) that provides the City with a clear, phased plan to strengthen cybersecurity, improve infrastructure reliability, and modernize technology operations. The Roadmap aligns tactical fixes with long-term transformation goals that will deliver measurable progress, reduce risk, and improve service delivery across the organization.
To support the City’s technology upgrades, the Roadmap outlines a structured action plan based on the assessment’s key findings. Recommendations are categorized into immediate, near-term, and strategic priorities to ensure urgent needs are addressed promptly while long-term initiatives are planned with foresight. The focus is to strengthen security, improve reliability, and enhance long-term system performance.
36-Month IT Roadmap
Over the next 18 months, the City’s IT investment strategy should prioritize security, reliability, and modernization through three progressive phases:
• Immediate (0-3 Months): Significant upfront costs driven by workstation refresh and disaster recovery (DR) site setup.
• Near-Term (3-6 Months): Moderate spending focused on network hardware replacement. Subscription-based services introduce recurring operating costs. Emphasis is placed on resilience and operational consistency.
• Strategic (6-18 Months): Lower upfront costs, with a focus on cloud adoption and enhanced monitoring. Labor for accounts payable (AP) system replacement and succession planning should be budgeted. These initiatives support scalability and long-term modernization.
• Maintenance and Staff Support (0-36 Months): Continued IT staff augmentation, with a focus on cybersecurity, for the duration of the contract.
Infinity Technology along with the internal IT team will work together to strengthen the City’s technological capabilities, reduce risk, and ensure reliable, secure services for the community. To accomplish the 36-month IT Roadmap, a monthly cost increase is required from $25,000 to approximately $42,000.
Hardware and infrastructure purchases (network and server) are not included but will be purchased utilizing salary savings and through a competitive bid process.
ARPA Reallocation and Contract Amendment with Infinity Technologies
Staff is requesting approval to reallocate ARPA funds from the General Administration Allocation to the Critical Infrastructure Technology Upgrades for Digital Security Project. On October 26, 2022, the City Council approved the allocation of ARPA funds to several eligible initiatives and the Administration Allocation in accordance with federal guidelines. The General Administration Allocation was intended to offset staff time related to ARPA administration. A review of the City’s budget and staffing allocations has determined that $800,000 of the General Administration Allocation can be reallocated to the Critical Infrastructure Technology Upgrades for Digital Security Project without impacting operations.
Reallocating the ARPA funds will not impact the City’s compliance with federal funding requirements, as both projects are in the ARPA General Government Services Interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved by the City Council on October 23, 2024 and amended on December 9, 2024. Per Federal guidelines, transfers are allowed only between projects listed within the existing MOU categories; MOUs are no longer amendable due to ARPA regulations.
The reallocation will help offset the cost of the proposed Infinity Technologies Amendment No. 2 (Attachment 3) and allow the City to implement the IT recommendations and Roadmap per the Proposal for Amendment No. 2 (Attachment 4). The proposed adjustment will help ensure the funds are deployed efficiently, strategically, and with meaningful impact to strengthen critical digital infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity.
FISCAL IMPACT
A budget adjustment in the amount of $800,000 is proposed to reallocate funds from the ARPA General Administration Allocation (Account No. 212300) to the ARPA Critical Infrastructure Technology Upgrades for Digital Security Project (Account No. 212305). The funding for Amendment No. 2 to the professional services agreement with Infinity Technologies will be drawn from the ARPA Infrastructure Account No. 212305. Any remaining expenditures will be offset by salary savings within the Information Technology Division budget, attributable to unfilled staff positions.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
Approval of the proposed ARPA funds reallocation from the General Administration Allocation to the Critical Infrastructure Technology Upgrades for Digital Security Project and Amendment No. 2 to the professional services agreement with Infinity Technologies will enable the City to maintain adequate information technology support through strategic staff augmentation. This approach ensures continuity of critical services, supports the advancement of key infrastructure and cybersecurity initiatives, and strengthens the City’s capacity to make informed, long-term decisions regarding the future structure and operations of the IT Division.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Professional Services Agreement with Infinity Technologies
2. Agenda Report for September 24, 2025 - Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with Infinity Technologies
3. Draft Amendment No. 2 to the Professional Services Agreement with Infinity Technologies
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager