ADP Board Reviews ADP Salary Study in Executive Session
ADP Board Meeting - January 12, 2026
Meeting Details: The Automatic Data Processing Board (ADP) held Organizational and Special Meetings beginning at 2:00 pm on January 12, 2026 in the Geauga County Auditor’s Office Appraisal Conference Room at 231 Main St., Chardon, OH 44024. Virtual access was available via MS Teams, and the agenda was provided in advance. Members of the public may attend ADP meetings virtually via MS Teams by emailing an invitation request to Auditor’s Office Chief Operations Officer Pam McMahan at PMcMahan@geauga.oh.gov. This Observer attended via MS Teams.
Public Comment: ADP does not have a written public comment policy. In practice, public comment is solicited at the end of the meeting.
Board Attendance:
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Auditor/Chief Administrator – Charles Walder
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Clerk of Courts – Sheila Bevington
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County Commissioner – Ralph Spidalieri
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Engineer – Andy Haupt
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Board of Elections – Tyler Plants and Nora McGinnis
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County Prosecutor – Jim Flaiz
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Recorder – Michael Risko for Celesta Mullins
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Sheriff – Deputy Chief Tom Rowan for Sheriff Hildenbrand
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Treasurer – Caroline Mansfield for Chris Hitchcock
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Coroner – John Urbancic (absent)
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Common Pleas Court Judge - Observer Note - It was stated at the January 28, 2025 meeting that this seat will not be filled.
ADP Staff Attendance:
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Frank Antenucci – Chief Deputy Administrator
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Zach McLeod - Information Security Manager
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Prasad Karamsetty (virtual)
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Andrew Haines (virtual)
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Johnathan Heiden (virtual)
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Akshay Raikar
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Joe Birli (virtual)
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Michael Tomc (virtual)
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Madeline Simmons (virtual)
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Michael Adams (virtual)
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Tracy Rahimi (virtual)
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Katelyn Cellitti
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Theresa Foltz (virtual)
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Diana Sanko (virtual)
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Ashley Serraglio - CARE (virtual)
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Karen Murphy - CARE
Reviewer Note: ADP restructured into three groups in 2025: Department of Advanced Technology and Applications (DATA), Department of Advanced Research & Cybersecurity (DARC) and Department of County Archives and Records Enterprise (CARE). More information on this restructuring is available in the March 4, 2025 ADP Observer Report.
Other Government Representatives:
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Amy Bivan - County Administrator (virtual)
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Mark Jimison - Deputy County Administrator
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Adrian Gorton - Geauga County Budget and Finance Manager (virtual)
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Nick Gorris - Geauga County Water Resources
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Scott Daisher - Board of Elections
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Katie Taylor - Geauga County Public Health (virtual)
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Samantha Harris - Prosecutor’s office (virtual)
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Thomas Huff - Court IT (virtual)
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Jeffrey Maze - Court IT (virtual)
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Matt Rambo - Court of Common Pleas Judge (virtual)
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Randy Johnson - Court of Common Pleas (virtual)
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Velta Moisio - IT Director, Court of Common Pleas (virtual)
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Pam McMahan - Chief Operations Officer, Auditor’s Office
Others Present:
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Allison Wilson - Maple Leaf
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Anastasia Nicholas - Geauga Times Courier (virtual)
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A member of the public (virtual)
The Organizational meeting was called to order at 2:00 pm by Mr. Antenucci.
The Board took the following actions:
APPROVED - Establish Meeting Dates for 2026 - A list of proposed 2026 dates for regular quarterly meetings was presented.
APPROVED - Establish Alternates for 2026 - The process for confirming alternates was discussed, including the receipt of letters from member agencies and continuation of prior-year alternates when no changes were submitted. A list was passed around on which Board members recorded their alternates.
Public Comment - None.
The Organizational meeting was adjourned at 2:06 pm.
The Special meeting was called to order at 2:06 pm by Mr. Antenucci.
Minutes: Minutes for the October 9, 2025 Special meeting were approved. Approved ADP Minutes are posted online here through October 9, 2025.
The Board took the following actions:
APPROVED - Approval of Dog Warden RC-2 - Ms. Murphy provided an overview of updates to the Dog Warden RC-2 retention schedule. The prior schedule dated from 2013. Updates included clarifying record series formats (paper vs. electronic), identifying storage locations, and aligning retention periods with Ohio History Connection recommendations and other record centers. Observer Note - An RC-2 is a records retention schedule used to manage local government records.
APPROVED - Approval of Veterans Services RC-2 - Ms. Murphy reviewed updates to the Veterans Services RC-2, last updated in 2018. Changes ensured consistency across record series, clarified retention periods,
and incorporated Ohio History Connection recommendations.
DISCUSSED - Payroll Phishing Campaign Overview - Mr. Antenucci and Mr. McLeod provided an overview of the annual payroll phishing awareness campaign conducted at year-end. The campaign used AI-generated phishing emails based solely on publicly available information to simulate real-world threats. Results were reviewed, including participation rates and user response data by department. The information will be used as part of the State Auditor IT General Controls audit.
DISCUSSED - Ohio Persistent Cyber Initiative (OPCI) 2025 Annual Training Update - Mr. Antenucci provided an update on the OPCI 2025 annual cybersecurity training campaign, which concluded in October 2025 after approximately 95 days. Completion rates were reviewed by department, with overall participation at 71%, below the 80% threshold required to receive funding from the state. Factors such as employee turnover and seasonal staff were discussed. Observer Note: As government services increasingly rely on digital platforms, the risk of cyberattacks has dramatically expanded. Learn more about OPCI here.
Regular Business - Two items were raised in Regular business that were not submitted in time to be included in the meeting agenda.
APPROVED - Logicis, Inc. Application ($328) - The Logicis, Inc. application is related to CA60 patching cables for ethernet access in the Courthouse.
APPROVED - Water Resource ICP Mass Spectrometer ($56,155) - Mr. Gorris explained that this request was for a replacement of an ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) mass spectrometer used for water quality testing (lead, copper, magnesium, nitrates, etc.). The replacement unit is not network-connected, passed security review, and will allow expanded testing capabilities.
Public Comment - Ms. McGinnis introduced Tyler Plants, the newly named director of the Geauga County Board of Elections. Mr. Plants thanked the ADP team for all the work they do in support of the Board of Elections.
Executive Session - A salary study prepared by Katelyn Cellitti, a member of the ADP staff with human resources experience, was provided to the ADP Board prior to the meeting. Mr. Flaiz commented on the salary study saying, “This is really good.”
At 2:25 pm the Board voted unanimously to move into Executive Session per Ohio Revised Code 121.22 (G)(1) “To consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee or official, or the investigation of charges or complaints against a public employee, official, licensee, or regulated individual, unless the public employee, official, licensee, or regulated individual requests a public hearing.” Board alternates and Mr. Antenucci were permitted to attend. No action was taken.
Observer Note: At the December 9, 2025 ADP meeting, comments made by Mr. Spidalieri earlier that day at the Board of County Commissioners meeting about the ADP staff, who he felt were overpaid, were discussed. Mr. Flaiz criticized the comments that he felt were unfair to the ADP staff and could harm morale amongst the team. Mr. Flaiz asked that an ADP salary study comparing ADP salaries to other governmental IT groups, peer county IT groups and other Geauga County employees be conducted for the ADP Board to review. The salary study provided contained these comparisons.
The conclusion of the salary study was that Geauga County’s ADP IT staff are significantly underpaid compared to other county IT units and similar public-sector roles, despite having greater responsibilities. ADP supports county-wide infrastructure and cybersecurity for over 1,000 users, yet ADP’s average pay rate is 23% less than Sheriff’s Office IT staff and nearly 39% less than Court IT staff.
This pay gap has led to repeated staff losses to higher-paying agencies, increasing strain, knowledge loss, and operational risk. Per the survey conclusion, “The objective evidence gathered in this salary survey [sic] highlights the need for fair, fact-based evaluation and recognition of ADP’s extensive scope, expertise, and results. Ensuring equitable compensation and informed oversight will help validate ADP’s critical role in safeguarding Geauga County’s technology operations and public services.” Without compensation adjustments, ADP will continue to struggle to retain qualified IT professionals.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:20 pm.
Next Meeting: The next scheduled meeting of the ADP Board will be a Regular meeting on March 12, 2026.
Minutes when posted are available here: Meeting Minutes | Geauga County Automatic Data Processing
Virtual Meeting Information: Contact Pamela McMahan at PMcMahan@geauga.oh.gov.
Observer: Carol Benton
Editor: Gail Roussey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Submitted: January 15, 2026
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