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Finance committee authorizes contingency spending after deep-freeze failure at county jail
Summary
The committee approved using county board contingency funds to cover emergency replacement of deep-freeze equipment at the Adult Detention Facility after repeated compressor failures; one bid discussed was $149,004.50 and county staff said the sheriff’s budget could not absorb the cost.
The Will County Finance Committee authorized the use of the county board contingency to repair and replace a failing deep-freeze system at the Adult Detention Facility after staff described repeated compressor failures and lost refrigeration capacity.
Joseph Novak, who identified himself for the record as the county HVAC technician for the Adult Detention Facility, described the problem: "I do the HVAC at the adult detention facility," he said, and explained the system was 18 years old and that compressors and evaporator damage had led to ongoing failures and daily costs while temporary trailer refrigeration was used. Committee members and facilities staff discussed available parts, the system’s age and the limits of routine maintenance.
During the discussion the committee referenced a bid figure for replacement work (one figure cited during clarification was $149,004.50). County staff clarified funding would come from the county board contingency rather than the sheriff’s departmental budget because the sheriff’s office does not have sufficient contingency to cover the emergency. A county finance official said, in response to a budget question, that "it would come out of county board contingency and the county board budget."
Committee members pressed on whether the need could have been foreseen in budgeting and whether the county tracks lifecycle replacement timing for equipment. Facilities staff replied the unit had been kept running as long as possible through intermittent repairs, and that the full replacement was now required.
After discussion the committee took the motion to authorize contingency funds and the chair announced the motion carried.
Why it matters: the failure disrupted refrigeration at a secure facility and required emergency contracting. The contingency authorization moves the county toward replacing aging equipment and prevents ongoing rental or temporary refrigeration expenses, but members asked staff to improve forward planning for long-lived capital equipment.
