Council approves up to $350,000 for furniture at new City Hall

Council approves up to $350,000 for furniture at new City Hall The Republic City Council voted 6-0 to approve a resolution authorizing negotiation and execution of contracts for furniture and furnishing packages for the new City Hall building, with a not-to-exceed cap of $350,000. Chief Financial Officer Bob Ford said council previously approved the building structure and an IT infrastructure allocation; tonight staff requested additional authorization for furniture so the installation can occur in mid-November. Ford said the city issued an RFP with assistance from BKD's design team, received four bid responses, and combined low-price components across bid blocks to lower the overall cost. He told council the preliminary cost estimate for furniture plus an allotment for artwork was about $305,000 and the $350,000 cap provides negotiation headroom. Council member Hart asked about existing furniture; staff said most old furniture was sold or disposed of and the remaining pieces were not serviceable. "We have very little furniture left, in the old building. It was a smattering of mismatched old, in many cases, falling apart furniture," Ford said. The resolution authorizes staff to negotiate and execute services agreements and furnishing contracts consistent with the budgeted amounts; council approved the item by roll-call vote 6-0.