Stephenson County approves grant-funded purchase, selects Access Systems for copiers after split vote

Stephenson County commissioners voted 13-0 on a subsequent motion to award a countywide purchase and five-year maintenance agreement for copier equipment to Access Systems, using a court-technology grant, after an earlier motion to award the contract to Gordon Flesch failed 5-8.

The decision settles a months-long effort by county staff to co-term copier contracts across departments and use a time-limited grant to buy equipment outright. The grant covers the bulk of the purchase; the Board approved including the five-year maintenance agreement in the grant payment.

The vote followed public comments from vendor representatives and a staff presentation. Nathan Johnson, a sales representative for Access Systems, told the Board that his company had negotiated pricing and could “include [maintenance] in the purchase price” so the county “would not have to budget a line item for this” for five years. Johnson said the Access proposal’s purchase price was $173,618.24 and the maintenance fee would be $723.80 per month, and he characterized his firm as “the number 2 Sharp dealer in the nation.”

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