City building official earns chief certification; department now self-sufficient for state requirements

The City of Medina’s building department announced that Tom Cromer earned chief building official certification from the State of Ohio Board of Building Standards, bringing the department to full self-sufficiency for required personnel certifications.

Building official Gladys told council Cromer has worked with the city for nearly 12 years, advancing from property maintenance and code enforcement to plumbing, electrical and HVAC inspector certifications through an on-the-job mentoring program. Gladys said Cromer completed the program and received the chief building official credential, the highest state certification available for municipal building staff.

"Tom recently just recently tested and was approved by the state of Ohio Board of Building Standards to receive the highest certification available by the state, which is the chief building official certification," Gladys said during his report to council.

Gladys said self-sufficiency — having required certifications in-house — is uncommon outside large cities and noted the city has written agreements with the City of Brunswick and the Medina County Building Department to provide required redundancies to each other.

Council members congratulated Cromer for his work and professionalism. No formal action was required; the report was delivered as part of departmental updates.

Background and next steps

The state requires redundancy in personnel certifications; Gladys said Medina will continue to assist Brunswick and Medina County under existing agreements. No budget or staffing changes were proposed at the meeting.