Blog | March 30, 2026
TAC County Information Resources Agency Celebrates 25 Years
In 2000, amid the dull roar of dial-up modems, technology advanced quickly. County officials couldn’t always trust vendors who promised easy solutions. With precious data to protect, Texas counties needed support.
That’s where TAC came in. The Association created the E-County Task Force, which vetted potential technology suppliers and protected counties against scams. As technology enhanced, so did the need for technology services. In 2001, TAC created the County Information Resources Agency (CIRA).
Now in its 25th anniversary year, CIRA isn’t slowing down. Last year, the agency transitioned to TAC’s IT department and tripled in size. In addition to website services, email licenses and cybersecurity training, CIRA offers four new website tools: Adobe PDF licenses, agenda manager tools, AI chatbots and accessibility widgets.
Jason Bram, IT member manager, is excited to offer more tools to Texas counties. “We are always listening to our members’ needs and creating ways to help them,” he said.
Willis Marlin, Rusk County’s IT director, decided to use CIRA’s web accessibility tool. This widget powered by artificial intelligence scans websites and identifies over 100 solutions to common compliance issues.
To help counties meet the Department of Justice’s web accessibility deadline, CIRA also launched a robust training resource page.
“It’s amazing information,” Marlin said. “The CIRA staff is there to help us figure out what we need to do to fix the problems.”
Education remains a priority for the growing CIRA team. Every year, CIRA hosts the annual County Tech Conference. This year’s event takes place Oct. 27-30 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel.
Marlin said he learns a lot at the county tech conference and enjoys connecting with his peers. “We’ve been able to follow up with each other after the conference,” he said. “It’s nice to realize you’re not in this boat by yourself.”
This year’s conference will focus on AI, web accessibility and cybersecurity — an ever-present concern for county government offices.
Beverly McClellan, Cochran County Auditor, said CIRA stepped in when her county experienced a potential cybersecurity attack.
“The CIRA team reset the compromised email, and the rest of us just continued working while they did all their background investigation,” McClellan said. “Everybody was just above and beyond.”
CIRA’s cybersecurity program is certified by the Texas Department of Information Resources and offers a wealth of information.
To learn more about CIRA’s training programs, tools and events, visit county.org/tac-cira.
“CIRA is always coming up with new ways to help us a bit more,” McClellan said. “I know they always have the county’s best interest at heart.”