Commission approves roughly $1.2 million for county HVAC replacements after debate over procurement

The Robertson County Commission on April 21 approved Resolution 042125032 to move funds for replacing eight county HVAC units, citing equipment at the end of life and the need to avoid building closures if units fail.

Commissioner Bobby Katz, presenting the measure, said the units "are past their life and have been for a while," and warned that failures would force the county to rent temporary units or close buildings. Katz said the funding includes a contingency to cover potential tariffs of up to $30,000. A technical advisor noted the vendor warranty is five years and said properly maintained units typically last 15–18 years.

Commissioners pressed staff about procurement and whether competitive bidding had been solicited. Katz and other supporters said the county used the Omnia Purchasing Cooperative—an approved cooperative for Tennessee local governments—so the county could contract directly with manufacturers and expedite engineering and production for custom units. Opponents asked if the county was foregoing potential savings by not soliciting multiple bids; one commissioner said the commission should consider setting up a reserve to pay for future unit replacements.

After extended discussion about timing, vendor engineering, warranty and maintenance-savings expectations, the commission voted to suspend the rules and adopted the resolution on second reading. The motion passed on the record; the transcript records the vote tally in the meeting as "19 4 0" (recorded in the transcript as the roll call result). The resolution directs funding for procurement and authorizes staff to proceed with the vendor and cooperative identified in the presentation.

Next steps: staff will finalize procurement documents, begin production to avoid extended downtime at county facilities and the budget committee was asked to evaluate a long-term reserve for future HVAC replacements.