Cuyahoga County committee advances classification-plan changes; archivist title referred to PRC

The Cuyahoga County Human Resources Employment and Equity Committee on Oct. 21 advanced a set of nonbargaining classification changes and referred separate legislation on the county archivist title to the Personnel Review Commission for review.

The committee approved Resolution CR20250290, which implements 11 recommended revisions to the county nonbargaining classification plan, and agreed to refer Resolution CR20250289 — which concerns the classification/title for the administrator, senior records management (archivist) — to the Personnel Review Commission (PRC) for its regular review process.

Rebecca Kupchinski, director of the Personnel Review Commission, told the committee the 11 recommendations include a new information-technology position for the public safety and justice services department that requires a lead certification, a change to broaden applicants for an Office of Child Support Services position (from requiring an active law license to requiring a J.D. degree), three classifications moving up a pay grade, and a pay adjustment of approximately $2,000 to raise a GIS analyst to the minimum of a new pay grade.

“That is going to be assigned to the public safety and Justice Services Department. This position requires a lead certification,” Kupchinski said when introducing the package. She said two of the pay-grade changes have no fiscal impact because affected employees already sit within the new bands.

Katie Gallagher, representing the county executive’s office, asked that the separate resolution on the archivist position be referred to the PRC and reviewed under the county charter and the Ohio Revised Code. “I would like the administration just to focus on the Ohio Revised or R code and the charter and the PRC’s due diligence to come up with the outcome and recommendation and try to leave any outside noise outside,” Gallagher said.

Committee members sought and received confirmation from PRC staff that the proposed pay-grade increases were already funded within departmental budgets and that the J.D. change for the OCSS position is intended to broaden recruiting pools.

The committee’s actions were procedural: CR20250289 was referred to the Personnel Review Commission for review and recommendation; CR20250290 was approved by the committee to advance to a second reading before full County Council. Votes were voice votes with no recorded opposition.

The approvals and referral mean the PRC and county administration will next complete the standard classification-review steps and report back to the committee and Council for further legislative action.