Updated with additional details.
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A resolution was brought before the City Council this month that proposes to keep the identity of certain cybersecurity vendors confidential.
According to the proposed resolution, the City of Clarksville uses vendors that provide goods and services to protect the city’s electronic information processing systems, telecommunications systems, data storage systems, and other related information technology within their infrastructure.
“The Tennessee Public Records Act provides that public records are generally open for inspection unless otherwise made confidential by state law,” said the proposed resolution. “And the City Council finds that public disclosure of the identity of vendors providing cybersecurity and related protective services to the City of Clarksville could potentially expose vulnerabilities in the city’s information technology systems and infrastructure.”
The Tennessee Public Records Law is designed, in part, to ensure that taxpayers are aware of how their money is being spent, and to ensure public officials are being good stewards of that money. However, several exceptions have been added, for example related to criminal investigations, protection of juveniles and, with this, cybersecurity.
The resolution said that state law provides that the identity of such vendors can be ruled confidential if the governing body, in this case the City Council, votes to make it confidential.
Redaction of where city is purchasing equipment, exact brand
The Finance Committee approved the resolution, and Stacey Streetman said at the City Council’s Aug. 27, executive session meeting this allows the city to to redact where the city is purchasing equipment from and the exact brand of equipment purchased.
“That is beneficial to us because when hackers and different individuals are able to get that information, they can find easier ways to be able to find the holes to be able to get into our system,” Streetman said.
City of Clarksville cybersecurity budget for FY 2026-27
For FY 2026-27. more than $2.18 million has been budgeted toward the city’s hardware, software and managed services. Meanwhile, $585,000 has been budgeted toward the city’s cybersecurity hardware, software and managed services.
Amie Wilson, the City’s Chief Information Officer, said the budget funding comes out of the City of Clarksville general fund, so it is taxpayer-funded.
“We also received the SLCGP (State and Local Cybersecurity Grant) grant from the State of Tennessee. It totals $75,100 for Fiscal Year 2027 and is not included in the totals above. This grant can only be used for new cybersecurity initiatives,” Wilson said.
Range of equipment that could be redacted under resolution
When asked what “certain” means in resolution, and how the resolution would be applied, Wilson said, “if the vendor is supplying a product that exposes us (the city) to risk, we would consider that vendor a cybersecurity vendor and redact the information.”
City Attorney Eric Bittner said, “Under Tennessee state law, the identities of all vendors providing goods and services used to protect electronic information processing systems are confidential.”
Wilson also said any vendor who provides a device or equipment that could provide unauthorized access to the city’s network would be redacted. The redaction of cybersecurity equipment purchased could range from network equipment to specialty hardware to cybersecurity managed services, and it would also include types of camera systems, she said.
Wilson confirmed Wednesday morning that this would apply only to security cameras for internal city properties.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.
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