County directs attorney to notify Otis of contract termination amid elevator maintenance dispute

DeKalb County commissioners directed the county attorney Nov. 10 to notify Otis that the county will terminate its elevator maintenance contract and to confirm the contract’s effective termination date.

The board discussed a series of historic and draft contracts for courthouse and jail elevator maintenance; staff could not find an unambiguous signed maintenance agreement covering the jail and said Otis had submitted a proposal. Commissioners also reviewed a lower‑cost proposal from an alternate vendor, Executive, for courthouse elevator maintenance.

During debate, commissioners and staff reported difficulty reconciling contract commencement and renewal dates. County staff said they had paid an Otis invoice covering maintenance through Aug. 2026 while the company's proposal language described a 5‑year commencement date starting Oct. 1, 2025. Commissioners questioned whether automatic renewals were in force and whether the county had provided the required nonrenewal notices.

Cost figures discussed at the meeting showed a major difference between vendors: Otis’s quoted maintenance cost for the jail was approximately $2,650 per year versus Executive’s quoted $700 per year; Otis’s quoted monthly rate in one proposal was $220.88. Commissioners said they preferred to seek a resolution that would avoid a repeat of earlier courthouse‑contract issues and to confirm whether Otis’s account was still in effect before signing with an alternative vendor.

A motion directing the county attorney to send a termination letter to Otis and to confirm termination timing was moved and carried by voice vote. Commissioners asked staff to follow up to determine whether the county can recover any prepaid amounts and to coordinate next steps for contracting with Executive if Otis’s contract is officially terminated.