7 ms·

For all of us shocked shocked about the county’s preparation and response, it’s worth noting that this is a county of population ~7000 and only about 5000 adult

For all of us shocked shocked about the county’s preparation and response, it’s worth noting that this is a county of population ~7000 and only about 5000 adults. The number of people involved in government, and the resources available for professional support staff (and solution products) are probably modest to say the least. A lot of you probably went to high schools that were bigger and more funded.

deleted 4y ago
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kshacker 4y ago
Does it mean that like a corporate M&A, maybe some cities/counties could also indulge in M&A for better value to citizens? Because with bigger base you can afford more employees dedicated to specific tasks.
- formerkrogemp 4y ago
  Unfortunately, municipal entities only merge like that in metropolises, not rural areas.
  - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
    It’s not uncommon for smaller municipalities to pool resources under a county.
mariojv 4y ago
Yes, this is a small operation, population wise and financially. The Brooks County most recent fiscal year budget has around $6M in revenue: https://www.co.brooks.tx.us/upload/page/5141/docs/20210922120105985.pdf https://www.co.brooks.tx.us/upload/page/5141/docs/2021092212... Really the federal government should be publishing and distributing guidance to local governments about how to run IT. I am wondering about how the ransom payout is going to show up in next year's budget. "Miscellaneous"? Off topic, but there is a documentary about migration through Brooks County and the perils faced by people trying to migrate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_in_Brooks_County https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_in_Brooks_County
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- anigbrowl 4y ago
  While it might be politically unpalatable, it's appalling to me that there aren't any standards for government websites. With ~3000 counties and I don't know how many municipalities, trying to synthesize data between different local governments is a nightmare for journalists, citizens, legal actors, and who-all else. Political science types like to mention 'laboratories of democracy' with a misty-eyed gaze into the past, but frankly it's far more common to end up with meth labs of bad governance, and the idea that great software solutions for the public sector are going to bubble up of their own accord has been shown to be wrong. There needs to be a system that is open source, accessible, and standard enough that city managers have to come up with a decent excuse as to why they're not using it.
  - trash_goblin 4y ago
  - curiousgal 4y ago
    For a country that gave birth to nearly all of the technologies the world is using, seeing the U.S. response to covid in terms of vaccination proof was an absolute shock. My American friends were walking around Europe with a piece of paper saying they got vaccinated. So yeah if you guys can't get your shit together and create a centralized vaccination certification system amid a global pandemic, a standard website kit isn't happening either.
    - prpl 4y ago
      You think that’s bad, wait until you hear about our federal identification system… I think people from other countries don’t understand that Americans don’t want (federal) government knowing anything about them besides taxes. There’s a whole bunch of reasons why, but for the most part it boils down to various forms of liberty - and tales of the mark of the beast. … but it’s usually fine when your state or a corporation is doing it.
rurban 4y ago
I'm only shocked that this tiny district didn't have backups. Even schoolgirls do have backups. Maybe they should learn from Zambia and restore their data from their backup, and tell the ransomware guys some nice things, just as the central bank of Zambia did.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

kshacker 4y ago

Does it mean that like a corporate M&A, maybe some cities/counties could also indulge in M&A for better value to citizens? Because with bigger base you can afford more employees dedicated to specific tasks.

formerkrogemp 4y ago
Unfortunately, municipal entities only merge like that in metropolises, not rural areas.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago
  It’s not uncommon for smaller municipalities to pool resources under a county.

mariojv 4y ago

Yes, this is a small operation, population wise and financially. The Brooks County most recent fiscal year budget has around $6M in revenue: https://www.co.brooks.tx.us/upload/page/5141/docs/20210922120105985.pdf https://www.co.brooks.tx.us/upload/page/5141/docs/2021092212... Really the federal government should be publishing and distributing guidance to local governments about how to run IT. I am wondering about how the ransom payout is going to show up in next year's budget. "Miscellaneous"? Off topic, but there is a documentary about migration through Brooks County and the perils faced by people trying to migrate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_in_Brooks_County https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_in_Brooks_County

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
anigbrowl 4y ago
While it might be politically unpalatable, it's appalling to me that there aren't any standards for government websites. With ~3000 counties and I don't know how many municipalities, trying to synthesize data between different local governments is a nightmare for journalists, citizens, legal actors, and who-all else. Political science types like to mention 'laboratories of democracy' with a misty-eyed gaze into the past, but frankly it's far more common to end up with meth labs of bad governance, and the idea that great software solutions for the public sector are going to bubble up of their own accord has been shown to be wrong. There needs to be a system that is open source, accessible, and standard enough that city managers have to come up with a decent excuse as to why they're not using it.
- trash_goblin 4y ago
- curiousgal 4y ago
  For a country that gave birth to nearly all of the technologies the world is using, seeing the U.S. response to covid in terms of vaccination proof was an absolute shock. My American friends were walking around Europe with a piece of paper saying they got vaccinated. So yeah if you guys can't get your shit together and create a centralized vaccination certification system amid a global pandemic, a standard website kit isn't happening either.
  - prpl 4y ago
    You think that’s bad, wait until you hear about our federal identification system… I think people from other countries don’t understand that Americans don’t want (federal) government knowing anything about them besides taxes. There’s a whole bunch of reasons why, but for the most part it boils down to various forms of liberty - and tales of the mark of the beast. … but it’s usually fine when your state or a corporation is doing it.

rurban 4y ago

I'm only shocked that this tiny district didn't have backups. Even schoolgirls do have backups. Maybe they should learn from Zambia and restore their data from their backup, and tell the ransomware guys some nice things, just as the central bank of Zambia did.