$160,000 furniture cost for new police-courts building draws concerns from Ann Arbor City Council
(This story has been updated with additional information regarding the city's fund balance.)
Keith Zeisloft, administrator of Ann Arbor's 15th District Court, was put in the hot seat Monday night as Ann Arbor City Council members grilled him on a $160,000 expense request for unbudgeted furniture items needed for the new police-courts building.
Council members appeared caught off guard by the expense, which Zeisloft acknowledged he knew was coming for some time — he said he just didn't know how much it would be.
Keith Zeisloft, administrator of Ann Arbor's 15th District Court, answers questions from City Council members Monday night while CFO Tom Crawford watches on.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Council Member Marcia Higgins, D-4th Ward, said she was "flabbergasted" that Zeisloft didn't at least put a placeholder line item in the courts budget four months ago.
"I think it would be very prudent if you knew in the beginning that this was something that we were going to need," she said. "We see placeholders in the budget all the time."
"That may be, and I'll concede that to you," Zeisloft responded. "I didn't put it in the budget because I had no idea how much it would be — quantity or the dollar amount — and I was hoping that it would be rather minimal in comparison to the entire cost of the project. I'm afraid I can't offer you a better answer than that."
The city is spending nearly $50 million on the police-courts building, which is taking shape next to the existing city hall building at the corner of Fifth and Huron. The city's police and courts staff are expected to move into the building by the end of the year.
The council postponed approving the $160,000 expense Monday night, asking Zeisloft to come back with an itemized list of actual furnishings needed and the cost per item.
Zeisloft said he had conversations with Tom Crawford, the city's chief financial officer, about the furnishings for the court several months ago when the budget was being prepared. He said he decided not to include the expense in the budget because he didn't have detailed floor plans yet.
"The specific designs for each floor had not been determined," he said. "I can tell you that there was, on my part, an awareness that we would need some furnishings. That was evident from the very beginning. But it was not possible to tell at the time when the budget was being put together exactly or even remotely the amount of furnishings that would be needed."
Zeisloft said the furnishings — including items like chairs for jurors — are essential to the operations of the court. He said he plans to be as frugal as possible and not exceed $160,000.
The city's 15th District Court currently occupies a leased spaced in the Washtenaw County courthouse, but the city has been asked to vacate the space by the end of this year so the county can move its juvenile court into the location.
Council Member Marcia Higgins, D-4th Ward, grills Zeisloft during Monday's meeting. She said she was "flabbergasted" the furniture expenses weren't budgeted.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Mayor John Hieftje questioned whether the city could purchase, at a reduced rate, the juror chairs from the county since they won't be needed for a juvenile court. Zeisloft said he'd look into that.
"It gives us an opportunity, if you'll explore that, to be as frugal as possible," Hieftje said, calling the $160,000 "an expense that we certainly hadn't expected."
Council Member Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward, was the first to question the expense Monday night. She wondered how the City Council could afford to spend $160,000 that wasn't budgeted, in addition to another item on Monday's agenda — a budget request by the planning department to take more than $153,000 out of the city's general fund balance for master planning projects, including corridor design standards.
The $153,000 budget request by the planning department was approved by a 9-1 vote, with Higgins voting no. Council Member Stephen Rapundalo, D-2nd Ward, was absent.
"Some people would be curious how we can open that general fund budget up and take about $300,000 out of it when we've been saying that we don't have a lot of flexibility in that budget this year," Briere said, asking Crawford for an explanation.
Crawford told Briere that the general fund budget includes an undesignated fund balance of about $10.8 million, which he said equals about 13 percent of general fund expenditures. He said the city tries to maintain a fund balance equal to 8 to 12 percent of expenditures.
City records show the city's undesignated fund balance as of June 2009 was $10.67 million. The city's budget for the current year showed the city would be spending that down to $7.8 million by next June, but Crawford clarified today the city finished this past fiscal year with small surplus and the estimated undesignated fund balance for June 2011 is projected to be $10.1 million, $700,000 less than the figure he cited during Monday's meeting.
City Council Member Stephen Kunselman, D-3rd Ward, wondered about the city's financial health Monday night and asked Crawford whether and to what extent there'll be another major budget deficit next year. Crawford said he hasn't come up with a revised financial forecast, but the cuts the city put into effect this year will help lessen any potential shortfall.
The purchase request by the court proposed buying the furniture and equipment from ISCG Inc., a Royal Oak-based company with an office in Ann Arbor. Zeisloft said ISCG has provided furnishings and equipment to the court before and is a pre-approved Washtenaw County vendor with Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office court security clearance.
Zeisloft said the court owns a significant existing inventory of furnishings and equipment that will be repurposed and reused in the new Ann Arbor Municipal Center, an inventory that includes the judges' and the magistrate's office furnishings, all probation department furnishings and equipment, office chairs and miscellaneous office desks, worktables and printer stands.
Other necessary furnishings and equipment not in the court's inventory, he said, include courtroom furnishings, case management staff and judicial staff workstations, jury assembly and jury deliberation room furnishings and other miscellaneous office furnishings and equipment.
Earlier this month, the City Council approved a resolution to pay Clark Construction, the construction manager for the Ann Arbor Municipal Center project, $31,000 for the purchase and installation of audio visual equipment in a newly renovated city hall basement meeting room. Funding for the purchase was included in CTN's capital equipment fund.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
Tru2Blu76
Mon, Nov 21, 2011 : 3:22 p.m.
As a former purchasing executive, maybe I can clarify this issue. When someone is put in charge of a project involving new equipment, they are automatically responsible for finding out the pertinent details, like "how many and how much." Mr. Zeisloft was derelict in that duty. He said that he had no idea of how much furniture would be needed and therefore didn't have any idea of the cost: poppycock. That's exactly what he was supposed to find out! Case closed!
Robert Honeyman
Wed, Aug 17, 2011 : 1:35 a.m.
1. how many eyes reviewed the budget and failed to notice the missing placeholder? blaming zeisloft and getting all indignant probably makes lots of folks feel good but it's kind of silly. note that the amount in question is well within any reasonable margin of error. 2. used furniture? that's a joke, right? 3. the voters voting down a proposal to expand a facility that was hopelessly outsized 30 years ago doesn't make the voters intelligent. it just makes them shortsighted. 4. i love how elected officials get all bent out of shape over nits, which they then try to micro manage. yeah. reviewing a detailed procurement list is exactly how council should spend its time.
Robert Honeyman
Wed, Aug 17, 2011 : 1:37 a.m.
please remove my post. i didn't notice that i'm a year out of date. i was just following links on your page.
peg dash fab
Fri, Oct 22, 2010 : 11:21 p.m.
ron, your outrage is palpable, so much so that you mistake my little computation for a justification and overlook the propensity of old furniture to wear out.
Ron Granger
Fri, Oct 22, 2010 : 3:15 p.m.
@peg dash fab: That an outrageous sum was spent on a building that the voters rejected in no way justifies spending more on furniture. Let them use the old furniture, or shop at property disposition. Why can't they use the old furniture?
peg dash fab
Fri, Oct 22, 2010 : 8:48 a.m.
for the math-challenged: $160K represents less than one-third of one percent of $50M.
Ron Granger
Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 7:50 p.m.
What city government employee tried to justify this new building - against the will of Ann Arbor - by complaining that he did not have a window? It was absurd then, and it is even more absurd now.
cook1888
Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 10:37 a.m.
These situations happen because the government does not care, they don't have to. They have the American taxpayer by the throat. Don't pay your taxes and you face legal sanctions. They squander our money and what happens - they think up ways for us to pay more. I don't think government officials and employees have a clue how fed up most taxpayers are.
Snarf Oscar Boondoggle
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 9:34 p.m.
if there was a $50 mill for the PROJECT (!!) and the project mangers can;t find 0.32% inisde that budget for furnishings, soembody needs to be.... ummmm, well, chaised into the lounge, methinks.
Loumar Sondeen
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 2 p.m.
Let the city set an example by reusing items and or purchasing used items where possible. There are several places in AA that sell used office items.
Milton Shift
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 10:10 a.m.
How about we take that $160,000 and use it to avoid wage and benefit cuts for firefighters, and turn over some confiscated porch couches for use in the courtrooms?
townie
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 10:05 a.m.
Thanks to Awakened and GoblueBeatOSU for pointing out two more expenses that I missed in my "extras" list above. I wonder if someone can dig up the interest and principal amounts on the loan to cover the missing $3,000,000? What are the contingency plans (LOL) if this $3,000,000 never comes through? Even if it does, how much more will taxpayers have to have put in for interest on the loan in the meantime? Note that the $31,000 for the A/V system in one meeting room is coming from the CTN budget, a favorite cash cow of City administrations for years. This could just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of other costs being buried in other departmental budgets (like the EMU scandal). As the City heads full steam into yet another exorbitant capital project (the Fuller Road Parking Structure for UM), one can't help but wonder what's not been included in that budget. Bike loops? Pavement striping? Lighting? Security cameras? Elevator? Concrete?
Bill
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 7:28 a.m.
There are many used office furniture stores in and around the Ann Arbor area who would have ample inventory of suitable office chairs for use in the court. There are also many landlords sitting on vacant properties that remain filled with furniture from former tenants. The city should look at purchasing some used, but good quality, office furniture at probably 30-40% or less of the original proposed budget. I'm also surprised at the $31,000 A/V requirements for the basement meeting room. That seems excessive unless this meeting room is the size of a ballroom. Are there any competitive bid purchasing requirements in the city of Ann Arbor? Are bids publically posted with ample notice to ensure the city receives the best possible pricing?
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 6:01 a.m.
Cancel the FOuntain!. Put it in later..
Awakened
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 5:15 a.m.
Reference re-using the furniture.... The City was renting FURNISHED space at the County court. It should not have been a news flash that the new building would need furniture. My money is on the Police Chief getting some new furniture too but it'll be hid in the police budget.
Awakened
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 5:06 a.m.
Council is shocked that the building will need furniture. Right. @townie. You were asking what else? The city has still not sold the empty lot at First and Washington for $3 million. That is part of how they planned to pay the total cost under the original budget. They did take a loan out on the property "until it can be sold." Figure in the monthly payments on that loan since they knew all along that property would never be sold at that price. It was just another budget trick to fool us stupid people.
digger
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 4:45 a.m.
If the council would get rid of their CUB agreement they probably would have saved enough this year to buy twice as much furniture.
racerx
Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 4:09 a.m.
When do I stop laughing. So, now the council is worried about cost?
Basic Bob
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 10:15 p.m.
Of course they have to furnish the building. I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone in the city government. And it's got to be massive oak or walnut so the judge can peer down disdainfully at the common folk. And, oh by the way, they're going to need some new art for the building next year. Maybe they can buy that butt ugly statue from Brighton. Or commission a bas-relief of Chris Armstrong.
glennsha
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 10:04 p.m.
City Council needs to all be fired and replaced, How in the name of politics can city council expect to have a new building and not approve to furnish it, what planet did they come from.
MjC
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 10:01 p.m.
Once again our representatives are out of touch with the real world. Good furniture - furniture that will last 20 years or more - is expensive. I can't understand how you can be "flabbergasted" at the amount of money it would cost to furnish this new building. This shouldn't have come as a surprise to any one.
R. Ellish
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 9:32 p.m.
This must be a joke and it isn't April Fools day. Where is the accountability in our city government? I hope that Keith Zeisloft has made out a personal check for all this non-essential stuff or is he waiting for the robes, wigs, and murals to be billed. If we can't afford essentials services like police and fire fighters, etc. to keep us safe then we certainly don't need NEW furnishing - hasn't anyone heard of re-use and re-furbish.
Tony Livingston
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 8:40 p.m.
Council doesn't really care about tax payer money. They just gave another blanket approval for a raise in the amount landlords are dinged for inspections. Now it is $101.00 for 10 minuites of work. Meanwhile, in the private sector, you can get skilled people to work for $25 an hour. I guess someone needs to pay for the new building and early retirement bills!
WWBoDo
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 8:26 p.m.
Oh my goodness, the struggles we are faced with are almost insurmountable! Drat! How could he make such a mistake and how will we ever pay for it?
Vivienne Armentrout
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 8:08 p.m.
Speechless is an asset to our community. Please run for office.
Joe Hood
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 7:14 p.m.
We allow $12 million for a U-M parking garage but we argue against $160K for furniture? I don't get it.
Homeland Conspiracy
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 6:17 p.m.
"And can I get a hot tub!"
Brad
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 6:13 p.m.
No problem. Any furniture vendors out there interested in a nice golf course by the Huron river?
David Briegel
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 6:09 p.m.
Let 'em sit on camp stools! How much do the Judge Robes cost??
Speechless
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 6:06 p.m.
For perspective, the $160,000 expense request for something to sit on at the new courts building is greater than the roughly $150.000 annual budget for the Burns Park Senior Center. Also, a year or so ago, the city's annual cost for public swimming at Mack Pool was about $60,000. And earlier on, Project Grow received yearly city assistance in the $7,000 to $15,000 range. During the last budget go-round the city cried poverty, saying that it couldn't possibly afford "the luxury" of funding neighborhood services such as these any longer. It was a time to emphasize fiscal responsibility and show great care with the municipal budget, so something would just have to give. For now, the senior center and public hours at the pool still exist as line items, although Project Grow lost the last of its limited cash support from the city. Today's lesson from furniture-gate is to loudly call B.S. the next time our city administrators appear before council to insist that the sky above will crash to the ground unless nearly every public service under the sun gets sharp cuts. When enough council members care about something, the money is found.
Vivienne Armentrout
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 5:55 p.m.
My memory is that when the police courts building was being approved by council back in early 2008, one CM (or was it a council candidate or citizen?)did ask whether the cost of equipment was included and the answer was that the budget was only for construction. Actually, any time a new facility is planned, this should be one of the first questions asked and if nothing else a place-holder estimate should be lined out in the budget. I've sat through a number of meetings about new buildings (especially because I attended the county Building Authority meetings for a couple of years) and this is always one of the first, most obvious questions. Again, my hazy memory is that it was acknowledged at the time the building was originally approved that equipment and furnishings were not included. The implication was that a way to handle that expense would be forthcoming later. Of course, the result was that the apparent cost of the new facility could be held down as a result. I've noted with some surprise that AnnArbor.com's editorial board is now criticizing incumbents for their support of this building project. I wish their predecessor could have been more critical at the time.
GoblueBeatOSU
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 5:40 p.m.
wait....did you see this?..it almost slipped past us... "$31,000 for the purchase and installation of audio visual equipment in in a newly renovated city hall basement " what kind of audio/visual system are these people putting in? And this expense is for the basement? Ok exactly what are these people going to be watching in the basement on some very high priced equipment?....wait..don't answer that....I think I already know.......how do these people get elected?
CynicA2
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 5:39 p.m.
As long as Ann Arbor voters keep re-electing the Hieftje and his clueless compatriots (by wide margins, no less!}, they will get exactly what they deserve - their pockets picked down to the last particle of lint. Maybe some daring citizen will at least have the stones to hook a chain around the Dreiseitl Disaster, and drag it behind their pick-up, clanking and banging down Huron, to a cheering throng! Now that would be great!
Tii
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 5:22 p.m.
I'm not responding to this sort of thing anymore. We keep electing these bozos who seem to have lost touch with social and financial realities. It is likely that this is the tip of the iceberg of the entitlement mentality of elected officials as well as some public servants.
townie
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 5:14 p.m.
Anyone else remember the president's house scandal at EMU?
Stuart Brown
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 5:06 p.m.
The omission of the furniture was probably not due to negligence but deliberate omission. The purpose of doing this was to hide the true cost of the building when the approval for it was debated (to get a lower estimate of cost) and then spring the cost on the taxpayer as a faint accompli later on. Let the court hold a bake sale to pay for the furniture. Of course, what the council really wants to do is increase the fines for overstaying a meter.
JMA2Y
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 4:06 p.m.
They spend 50 million on a building and complain about $160k extra for furniture? That's idiotic. Yes, it should have been assumed by the project manager-whoever planned the building and is coordinating the budgets-that furniture would be needed and Zeisloft should have inserted something into the budget but still. Build a bigger building, need more stuff.
Roadman
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 3:52 p.m.
I find this extravagant expense request of Mr. Zeisloft to be utterly appalling. It is his court system that orders evictions of mortgagors who have foreclosed upon by their bank and his court officers who forcibly remove such mortgagees and their belongings from their homes. Zeisloft and his clerks see firsthand the pain and suffering endured by those families who are in the process of losing everything. We have a 47 million-dollar white elephant that is followed by a $770,000.00 world-class artwork. Now the Court wants Fifth Avenue quality furnishings. What's next? Gold-plated toilet seats? Judging by the questioning it is clear Keith Zeisloft did not do his homework in trying to obtain the most economical options for the city. Sabra Briere should be congratulated for bringing this matter to everyone's attention. The Mayor and Marcia Higgins also deserve kudos for pressing this matter as they did. The pressure brought on by the public the last two years over this police/court fiasco likely was a factor in City Council's hammering of Zeisloft.
cibachrome
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 3:49 p.m.
Ah yes, 'concerns', a phrase used almost exclusively by Liberal Democratic politicians to get their name in the papers and other news sources in order to remind voters that they are still there "fighting" for them. They realy don't have a rational arguement for the topic or a plan for an alternate solution, but they want their 5 minutes of fame to stay in the glow of political opportunity. Its generally a cop out produced as a result of their failure to be at the helm when the subject matter originally sprouted. No go back and look at all those with 'concerns' about the myriad of issues that burden our society. My vote would be to remove the Council furniture and reallocate it to the Court. There's obviously too much sitting and not enough of what they should 'stand' for.
rusty shackelford
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 3:15 p.m.
How is anyone supposed to take this administration and Council seriously going forward when they claim poverty for things constituents care about (senior center, Mack Pool, Project Grow, crosswalks, Huron Hills Golf Course). Yet, when it comes to these monumental public projects, anything goes? Because people will believe any silly negative thing about credible challengers to the status quo, e.g. N. Clark.
Atticus F.
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 3:04 p.m.
Has anybody considered reusing the furniture at the old building? Or do they also have an excuse as to why the old furnture cant be used. I personally think that building a new library or city hall every 30 years is unsustainable.
Ron Granger
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 3:02 p.m.
The public outright rejected this building many times. Now they want new furniture? Apparently some still haven't heard about the economy and budget. Sure, we'd all like new Aeron chairs, but they shouldn't be bought on the public's dime. They should re-purpose old furniture. Fwiw, I do use an Aeron chair. I bought it myself.
DaLast word
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 3:01 p.m.
This city pisses money away like it wasn't theirs, oh that's right it isn't. It's the tax payers. Look at the money spent on entising the homeless to come to our fair city, millions! I am amazed that there isn't more outrage in these very tough times about outgoing money.
townie
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:59 p.m.
Let's add it ALL up shall we? (Tell me if I'm missing anything.): $160,000 for furniture. $975,000 for security. $185,000 for moving costs. $165,000 for related work on the Larcom roof. Over $1,000,000 for a water fountain (when all associated costs are included). That's about $2.5 million added to the original budgeted cost for this building. What else hasn't been accounted for yet? Worse, after all the budget scare tactics, fire-fighter layoffs and other concessions, the City administrator is suddenly able to easily absorb about $1.5 million for these unbudgeted extras? (The $1 miilion in "art" money for the fountain comes from another "bucket," but that's another topic altogether.) How is anyone supposed to take this administration and Council seriously going forward when they claim poverty for things constituents care about (senior center, Mack Pool, Project Grow, crosswalks, Huron Hills Golf Course). Yet, when it comes to these monumental public projects, anything goes?
Kathy Griswold
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:40 p.m.
Council members will ask questions and protest. Then, based on previous behavior, they will approve the furniture expenditure. To put these amounts in perspective, the Citys cost for moving the school crosswalk on Waldenwood Drive from mid-block to the safer 4-way intersection was $4,848.70, per the City engineers detailed cost report of October 5, 2009. A year later, the Citys official response is that the school crosswalk has not been moved due to the lack of funds and other higher priority items. I hope that does not include a contingency for these unplanned IT, planning and furniture emergencies.
quetzalcoatl
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:19 p.m.
I have to thank AnnArbor.com for preventing me from believing that Court Administrator Zeisloft was under the influence of illegal narcotics when he failed, by his own admission, even to find out ahead of time how much this furniture would cost. But thanks to AnnArbor.com I already knew City Council was prepared to spend $50 million on the building... oh, and $400,000 on computer upgrades that nobody knew about it.... oh, and we have all these dangerous homeless people and SSI recipients still at large who must have fair trials in comfortable chairs before they an be incarcerated in the new $350 million jail we needed because there are mental patients at large... oh, we don't have the jail yet. Guess we gotta wait for the next Great Recession, but at least we can wait in good furniture. Imagine how everything would cost were that an actual crime problem in Ann Arbor!
REALtownie
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:19 p.m.
The furniture's cheaper than the eyesore signs we have all over town... right?
DAN
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:15 p.m.
It's usually the elected judges who insist on the expensive furnishings, not the administator. They [judges] seem to feel thast their courts must spend top dollars in order to maintain the "dignity" of the court. Adjudication, however, is not the same as extravagance, and can be done just as well in less costly surroundings. djm
rusty shackelford
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:15 p.m.
Also, Janeqdoe ftw.
rusty shackelford
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:14 p.m.
About 0.3% of the total budget. Seriously, who cares?
a2miguy
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 2:08 p.m.
Wow. The degree to which someone dropped the ball here is unfathomable. You build a new building and you don't get estimates for furniture??? I would assume/hope that the interior designer involved at least asked the question and helped assemble a rough inventory of what they need and don't need, then get some estimates together... otherwise, what are you paying them for? I've no doubt the number of line items is huge... but missing this is like jumping in a car, starting it up, putting it in gear, then realizing there's no steering wheel. Good grief. Approve the item and move on with it. In a building of that size, $160K for furniture is not an eye-popping amount.
Mick52
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:57 p.m.
Easy solution. Buy the furniture, take a crayon, scribble on the furniture at the store. That makes it art and use the million dollar fountain fund to buy the furniture. Put no water in the fountain until the art fund is built up. Get a hold of John Dingell right away and get stimulus funding for the furniture. Strong arm DDA for furniture funding.
a2grateful
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:54 p.m.
Do we really need to roastl the messenger? Spend $50 million on a building, and then whine about furniture costs? Cancel the folly fountain to cover the shortfall.
Cash
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:50 p.m.
@bruceae, It's not the council's budget...it is the city court budget.
bruceae
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:45 p.m.
I guess the council was too busy sticking their noses in the Shirvell/Armstrong Fight and completely missed the fact that they forgot furniture for their new court.
Cash
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:32 p.m.
A budget is a best guess made at the time...it cannot be exact. That is true of any budget at any time. No one would expect an administrator to know the exact cost of furniture....but anyone would expect a "Furniture" line item and an estimate in the budget. Any thing else is inexcusable. What's the real reason furnishings cost was left out?
treetowncartel
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:31 p.m.
They should check out the U of M's property disposition center out on North Campus. There is plenty of good furniture bought with taxpayer money out there that they can re-purpose.
5c0++ H4d13y
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:30 p.m.
How can something so obvious be missed? Are juries just going to sit on the floor in the court and deliberation rooms?
janeqdoe
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:27 p.m.
Ban couches on porches, then drive around campus and "repurpose" the confiscated upholostered pieces. Two problems solved and big $$$ saved.
nowayjose
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 1:08 p.m.
Make the tables and chairs out of grass, and call it a greenbelt. I bet it gets appoved. Its not what you're selling, it's how you're selling it.