Furniture fuels heated county board debate
By Vinde Wells - Editor
Buying furniture for the remodeled Ogle County Courthouse was almost delayed again Tuesday night when county board members heatedly debated the high cost.
Two motions to purchase the furniture failed, but a compromise was finally reached.
The board voted unanimously for a third motion to purchase the furniture from Business Office Systems, Chicago, with the stipulation that the Long Range Planning Committee with the assistance of board members Jim Barnes, Oregon, and Dennis Williams, Byron, will re-evaluate what’s needed in an effort to reduce the price.
Earlier the board rejected a motion 12-10 to accept Business Office System’s bid for $249,546 because of the cost.
Williams voiced the first objections. He said the Long Range Planning Committee had passed over two lower bids which could have saved $30,000.
Williams questioned spending $800 each for four chairs in a lunchroom which he said were listed on the bid.
He also objected to the $88,000 expenditure to furnish the county board room. Part of that, he said was $19,000 for the U-shaped county board table.
Williams also objected to buying of 57 chairs for spectators at county board meetings.
“Do we need 57 chairs? I’ll bet half of them will never be sat in,” he said.
Board chairman Ed Rice, Rochelle, said the room was designed to accommodate 100 people in the audience.
“One complaint was that there is not enough seating for the public,” Rice said. “We determined that we needed space for 100 people. Part of the seating will be done with old church pews.”
Board member Bob DeArvil, Chana, said spending so much on furniture can’t be justified after budget cutbacks and 13 employees being laid off in the sheriff’s department.
Barnes agreed. “What kind of message does this send to taxpayers and department heads?” he said.
Board member Lynne Kilker, Oregon, asked what will happen to the small, individual wooden desks and chairs the county board has used for decades.
“I have no problem sitting in the same chair that “Dutch” Hoffman or Peg Fridley sat in,” she said, referring to two former board members who are now deceased.
Rice said the county board will decide what to do with the antique desks at a later time.
After the motion was defeated, board member Rich Gronewold, Forreston, who is also a member of the Long Range Planning Committee, asked the board for direction.
He said postponing the purchase of the furniture for another month will mean costly construction delays at the courthouse.
Gronewold said the furniture bid was under the budget already approved by the county board for the furniture. He asked if the board would consider one of the lower bidders.
“Is there really a delay?” Williams asked.
Jim Dobyns, from Ringland Johnson Construction, said electrical wiring is being installed based on the furniture layout previously approved by the board.
“It’s definitely putting a crimp in things,” he said. “We’re painting walls. Pretty soon (to make changes) we’re going to be cutting into finished walls.”
A second motion to purchase the furniture from a lower bidder, Hendrick All-Steel Products, from $239,000 was defeated by a 13-9 vote.
The other low bidder was not considered because they did not offer the file drawers preferred by county employees.
The furniture bids were originally on the December agenda, but questions then from board members about the wording of the bid specifications delayed the vote until this month.
