Ada Council Approves MFA for City Email Logins; $3/Email/Month Fee

Ada’s July 6, 2026 City Council packet includes a cybersecurity vote to add multi-factor authentication (MFA)—a second authentication step—when signing in to city email accounts.

The packet says the change is intended to better protect city accounts from hackers, and it notes an added cost of $3 per email account per month (described as a fee “on top of our contract”).

What the council packet says

In the “Cybersecurity Updates” section of the meeting packet, Ada staff member Administrator Larson requested implementing a second authentication factor for email sign-ins.

The packet records a motion to move forward with the second authentication factor. It lists the vote as:

• Motion: Member Roux
• Second: Member Opheim
• In favor: Nelson, Erickson, Peacock, Roux, Opheim
• Opposed: Kroshus

That means this was not just discussion in the packet—it was treated as a council action item, with a recorded vote.

MFA in plain English

MFA requires more than one step to log in. Typically, after a password (what you know), a user must also confirm identity with a second factor (for example, a one-time code sent to a phone or generated in an authenticator app). This additional step is designed to reduce the chance that a stolen password alone leads to account takeover.

What this is (and isn’t) changing

Based on the packet’s description, the measure is aimed at city staff/official sign-ins to city email systems.

It is not described as changing how residents receive messages; rather, it focuses on making it harder for an attacker to gain unauthorized access to city email accounts.

What residents and local businesses should watch next

With the council motion approved, the practical next question is implementation: which city email accounts are covered, what second-factor method will be used, and how the city will handle sign-ins for staff during role changes or onboarding.

Residents can also help by continuing to watch for phishing or impersonation attempts—especially messages that claim to be from city staff or request urgent action—since MFA can reduce account takeovers but does not eliminate fraud risk entirely.

Bottom line

Ada’s July 6, 2026 council packet states the council voted to move forward with adding a second authentication factor (MFA) for city email logins, noting an additional $3 per email account per month fee on top of the city’s existing contract.

Sources

• City of Ada — July 6, 2026 council meeting packet (Cybersecurity Updates section)
• LoginMN (Minnesota IT Services) — MFA overview
• NIST SP 800-63B — Digital Identity Guidelines (MFA guidance)