The Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services and Aging Committee on Wednesday moved a two‑year agreement with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office to the full council.

The clerk read Resolution R2025‑0323, which authorizes a contract not to exceed $8,322,252 for legal services covering Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027. Marcos Cortez, presenting for the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of Children and Family Services (DCFS), said the prosecutor’s office will provide custody representation, civil representation, appeals work and parent‑relative locator services, and will prepare pleadings and appear at hearings.

“This agreement is for another two years,” Cortez said, adding that the office will provide 24/7 on‑call representation and assist DCFS staff when families are evasive.

Committee members asked for clarification about the contract term and cost. Cortez said the duration is two years to align with the budget cycle and that the current cost is unchanged from the previous two‑year agreement.

By voice vote the committee approved moving the resolution to the full council on second reading. The chair noted the item will continue through the council’s standard reading process.

Next steps: the resolution will appear on the full council calendar for additional consideration; no final appropriation or contract signature was recorded at the committee meeting.