Budget panel amends watch list to add up to $425,000 for court clerk’s fifth‑floor furniture

At the BET meeting on Aug. 12, members voted to amend the board’s watch list to authorize a not‑to‑exceed $425,000 allocation for furniture and fixtures for the court clerk’s fifth floor. The motion to amend the watch list carried after a voice vote of “ayes,” with no opposition recorded.

The amendment was proposed to cover furniture, window coverings and related FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) tied to a court clerk office move. The court clerk (unnamed) said the original project budget had excluded blinds and that some items could be reused from county maintenance inventories. "So I'm just asking that we have a not to exceed at $4.25. Like I said, if there's money we can turn back, we absolutely will," the court clerk said during the meeting.

Members discussed possible funding sources. One member suggested splitting the $425,000 request into two watch‑list line items — one potentially funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and the other from the existing project line — to keep options open if construction costs come in under budget. A speaker noted lead times for ordering furniture are about 60 days and estimated a possible move‑in date around Jan. 1, making prompt ordering necessary once final measurements and configurations are confirmed.

The board referenced vendor and procurement details discussed by staff: window coverings were identified as available on state contract from a vendor the court clerk named as Bison Blinds, and some surplus furniture in the maintenance office may reduce new purchases. Members also discussed the project’s existing contingency: roughly $200,000 remained for change orders on the construction line, which could affect net funding needs for FF&E.

The board approved the amendment by voice vote after a motion and second. No formal ordinance, budget appropriation or final purchase order was presented at the meeting; members said the watch list amendment is a tracking/authorization step and that any actual expenditures would follow normal procurement and appropriation procedures.

The board asked staff to track funding sources and to report back with firm cost estimates and timing so the clerk’s office and procurement can proceed without risking missed lead times.

Less urgent details: members said some donated or surplus county furniture might be used, and staff reiterated that any unused funds would be returned to the project or county fund balance per standard practice.