Commission Holds Johnson Controls Aviation Contract After Audit Concerns; JCI Representative Agrees to Meeting

A Clark County commissioner moved and the board voted to hold an aviation contract award to Johnson Controls Inc. after audit committee members reported discrepancies in the company’s invoices and contract performance.

The contract under consideration would have authorized purchase orders to Johnson Controls for updated door controllers for Harry Reid International Airport. During discussion, a commissioner on the audit committee said the committee’s exhaustive audit had identified “several discrepancies,” including invoices that lacked supporting documents, price increases that did not follow contract requirements, and markups on GSA pricing and labor rates. That commissioner said the company submitted a letter the morning of the audit-committee meeting that did not address the committee’s findings in detail.

The commissioner moved to hold the item for two weeks and requested that Johnson Controls meet with the county’s audit director and county manager before the item returns to the board. Director Rosemary Visiliadis, who oversees aviation, confirmed a Johnson Controls representative was present and introduced Daniel Adams, identified on the record as Johnson Controls’ account representative for the county.

Adams told the board he could not speak to the audit details at the hearing but said, “we do take it serious. We are moving it forward.” When asked whether he understood the board’s request that the item not be advanced until the meeting took place, Adams replied, “Yeah. We understand and we take that very serious.”

The board’s motion to hold the item until the June 3 meeting was accepted and passed. Commissioners indicated Johnson Controls will meet with the audit committee and county management during the hold period.

Speakers quoted in this article are those who spoke on the record during the consent agenda item regarding Johnson Controls and the audit committee review.