LAURINBURG — The Scotland County Board of Commissioners is staying tightlipped about the details of the “cyber incident” that cyber security officials have been working to get under control since Dec. 18.
Board Chairman Tim Ivey said Monday that as VC3, the county’s information technology service provider, and other state cyber officials work to correct the incident, the county is withholding information on the matter.
“We get a lot of questions asked about what’s going on with the computers and we can’t answer it. I don’t want people to think something is being swept under the rug,” Ivey said.
“If you tell too much of what’s being done then whoever’s done it will — they know the group who done it — will know how to get around that so they don’t want to tell that until it’s all completed,” Ivey said.
County Manager April Snead said that although county departments are working at a slower pace, systems are getting better each day.
“Right now we are moving forward with getting back to business as usual for our citizens,” Snead said, “Phone lines are open and any service they could get prior to this, they can get now. We do ask for a little bit of patience. It may be a little slower but we are doing our very best and making headway every day.”
Commissioners directed the county manager to negotiate an offer for the building and property that once held the East Laurinburg Town Hall. The county listed the building for $89,000 and two parcels of land for $10,000. The offer was for $65,000, according to Snead.
“I would say negotiate it. I wouldn’t shut the door,” Commissioner Bo Frizzell said.
In other business, the commissioners voted to appoint Miki Butler to a four-year term as tax administrator.
The commissioners approved the appointments of Jimmy Bennett, Daniel Dockery, Debbie Evans, Franklin Evans, John Ferguson, William Graves, Joy Hine and Don Norton as members and alternate members to the Zoning Board of Adjustments. They also appointed Sheila Swift to the Senior Tar Heel Legislature Delegate.
Tomeka Sinclair is the editor of The Laurinburg Exchange. She can be reached at tsinclair@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.