Wilson County commissioners spent substantial time on Jan. 17 debating an amended lease for a copier at the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC), focusing on cost allocation, the number of included copies, and whether the original contract had been signed legitimately.

Officials discussed a proposed addendum that, according to a presenter, reduced monthly lease payments. One speaker said the addendum “lowers the monthly lease payments,” and another described the new allotment as 3,000 black-and-white and 3,000 color copies included in the contract. A commissioner questioned whether the county’s reported copy counts justified that level of included printing and asked why departments could not use local printers instead.

The debate included procedural questions about prior approvals. Several speakers said a prior contract or lease had been signed and that the addendum was intended only to reduce the per-month charge; others said they would review whether the original signing followed required court approval procedures.

The transcript records two competing motions: a motion to deny bringing the amended lease forward and later a motion to approve the addendum. The transcript records that a motion to approve the addendum was made “by Commissioner King, seconded by Commissioner Aiken,” but it does not record a roll-call tally or an explicit statement that the motion passed. The monthly payment cited in discussion was $94.40 per month in one speaker’s remarks; speakers said departments could split costs (fire marshal and emergency management cited as primary users).

Why it matters: The item affects how the EOC will produce training materials and whether departmental budgets will be charged for copies. Commissioners raised questions about transparency and whether the county’s procurement and signature procedures were followed for the underlying lease.

Next steps: Commissioners discussed revisiting copy counts and reviewing budget allocations; the transcript does not record a formal recorded vote or final outcome in the provided segments.