Sunday, August 3, 2014

(Sutter County) Report: Sutter IT still not compliant


July 14, 2014
Appeal-Democrat
By Andrew Creasey

The Sutter County Information Technology Department is not in compliance with an 2012-13 audit report due to lack of funding, according to the new Sutter County Grand Jury report.
The grand jury found that terminated employees still had access to financial applications, passwords required to access systems were not complex, independent security testing is not performed periodically, and IT risks are not formally documented, evaluated and addressed periodically.
The IT Department was audited by CohnReznick in fiscal year 2012-13 and made several recommendations about IT policy and procedure that were not implemented.
IT Deputy Director Michael Baker told the grand jury that the department is understaffed and under budgeted and that to implement the recommendations of the report would be costly and time consuming.
The lack of compliance was the main finding in this year's report. In all, the report contained three recommendations from the nine areas of the county it investigated.
Another recommendation concerns a water rate study by the Sutter Community Services District, which provides water to the community of Sutter.
The district has not had a water rate since 2001, the report stated.
"In those 13 years the cost of doing business has risen dramatically," the report stated. "While they have been able to maintain their operations and maintained substantial reserves, the rate study needs to be completed."
The district has $1.6 million in reserves and an operating budget of $508,600 for fiscal year 2013-14, according to the report.
A water rate study is underway.
The grand jury also toured the new Sutter Animal Shelter at 200 Garden Highway in Yuba City.
During the tour the grand jury observed that the animal shelter does not have a back-up emergency generator. The report recommends that the animal shelter acquire a stationary back-up generator for the facility.

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