Commissioners demand return of CJIS systems and access after hosting agreement expiration

The Stark County Board of Commissioners on May 6 approved a resolution recognizing the expiration of the county’s CJIS hosting and maintenance agreement and directing immediate steps to secure the continuity of CJIS operations.

The resolution, approved unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Alan Harold and seconded by Commissioner Bill Smith, directs the return of county property, systems, credentials and infrastructure access related to CJIS and authorizes “all actions necessary to secure the continuity of CJIS operations” as recorded in the minutes.

County Administrator Brant Luther introduced the agenda amendment that added this resolution. The minutes record the board’s action but do not list operational details or a vendor name beyond the reference to the hosting and maintenance agreement. The resolution text recorded in the minutes demands the return of county assets and authorizes county staff to take steps to maintain CJIS continuity; the minutes do not document any vendor response or timeline for compliance.

The board assigned the matter to administration and IT for follow-up. The minutes record that Administration/IT are responsible for work to recover county systems and credentials; a follow-up task to report back to the commissioners is noted in the meeting record. The minutes do not specify how recovery will be executed, whether law enforcement partners were consulted at the meeting, or whether the county will seek legal remedies.

Next steps recorded: commissioners directed Administration/IT to secure county property and access and to report back; the executive session later in the meeting addressed collective bargaining matters and was conducted pursuant to O.R.C. 121.22(G)(4).