Holmes County commissioners voted on October 16 to adopt a countywide cybersecurity program designed to meet requirements set by Ohio Rev. Code § 9.64, which took effect September 30, 2025. The resolution, listed on the official commissioners' agenda, establishes employee training, system upgrades and incident reporting protocols intended to protect the availability, confidentiality and integrity of county data and IT services.

The adoption follows state-level action earlier in 2025: Ohio House Bill 283, introduced May 20, set a framework requiring political subdivisions to implement cybersecurity programs consistent with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Center for Internet Security (CIS) best practices. The county’s decision also occurs against a backdrop of rising cyber incidents in Ohio, including a May 2025 ransomware attack in nearby Washington Court House that highlighted vulnerabilities in local government operations. Local coverage published October 20 by Your Ohio News reported the commissioners' action alongside other county measures such as infrastructure funding.

County officials framed the plan as a practical step to shield day-to-day public services that have become increasingly digital. The program is intended to reduce the risk of interruptions to property records access, health district portals, emergency management systems and routine county business such as permit processing and welfare applications. For Holmes County, where many residents—including farming families and members of the Amish community—rely on timely access to county services, disruptions can carry substantial practical and financial consequences.

Implementation responsibility will rest with the County Information Technology Department, working under direction from the Board of Commissioners, which includes members such as Pete Petersen. The plan also incorporates reporting guidance from the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Homeland Security division and was developed in a policy environment shaped in part by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. While the resolution outlines the scope of protections, the agenda indicates the program will include a schedule for training and phased technology upgrades, though those specifics have not yet been publicly detailed.

Key details remain to be clarified. The commissioners’ meeting agenda confirms adoption but the full meeting minutes and a detailed implementation budget have not been posted, leaving open questions about funding sources for the planned upgrades and whether state cybersecurity grants or local allocations will cover costs. The exact curriculum and frequency of employee training, and the timetable for any countywide security drills, are also not yet available for public review.

For residents and local institutions that share administrative systems with the county—potentially including East Holmes and West Holmes Local Schools—the new program could extend protections to interconnected systems, reducing collective exposure to attacks. Observers say the most meaningful measure of the county’s initiative will be how it performs in practice: the timing and results of any post-adoption cyber drills, the transparency of incident reporting, and the county’s ability to maintain services without costly interruptions. Journalists and residents will be watching forthcoming meeting minutes and implementation reports to assess whether the plan delivers the promised safeguards.