Wayne King uncovers cost of Justice Center office furniture
- Chuck Thompson
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
It may not be a secret, but the county government was not posting, promoting or talking publicly about the line-by-line cost of the new furniture for the new $210 million Justice Center, when Cleveland County Commissioner candidate, and front-runner, Wayne King filed a formal public records request for the cost of the new furniture near the end of July.
In the documents, he discovered one floor of Cleveland County’s Justice Center will cost roughly $695,000 to $757,000 in new furniture. One floor is just one of many. The verified cost is directly from the public records request made last month by King and obtained lawfully by The Shelby Independent. The invoice and catalog of photos are listed as for level 2 and the line item sheet at the bottom of this news story says for level 1. Regardless of the floor or if that is typo, or not, the cost is the cost.
Two chairs that were discovered in the furniture financials invoice, via the public records request, are Kasura Chairs. These are high-end furniture pieces; something one might find in executive suites of corporate headquarters.
According to Atlanta Office Liquidators, the Kasura Chair is a high-end commercial and executive seating collection where list prices often range from $2,000 to over $3,300 depending on the specific configuration, base style (4-prong vs. 5-prong swivel), and textile choice. A $2,456.48 budget per chair places one squarely in the mid-to-high tier for customizing a new Kasura model or purchasing premium high-back or lounge variants.
On the purchase order, signed by Cleveland County Manager David Cotton, one of the items listed in the roughly $700,000 order for just one floor of the new Justice Center, was four lounge chairs.
CH-37.A section 561, item number C9560 “Lounge Chair” x 4. These chairs were $2,694.12 each, for a grand total or $10,776.48 (before tax and shipping).
While it’s not clear yet what or where these chairs will be used, by the time of publication of this news story The Shelby Independent could not verify their intended use / location.
There's also an order for at least seven "custom" chairs at $1,119.25 each. Keep in mind, this isn't the complete order.
Whether it’s taxpayer money or grant money used to pay for the allegedly five million plus total furniture bill for the entire structure, all money is taxpayer money. It doesn’t appear out of thin air; it is paid into the system by money spent and earned by taxpayers. Wayne King, who made the public records request and discovered the cost of the furniture, believes the residents of Cleveland County deserve to be treated better, with more respect for their hard-earned money compared to the current liberal spending on new furniture.
"The numbers speak for themselves,” King stated. “While Cleveland County families are stretching every dollar to make ends meet, the county government is preparing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on office furniture that many citizens would consider excessive."
Among the proposed purchases are:
42-gallon trash cans at $1,412 each.
Office chairs at $693.78 each.
Waiting room chairs at $370.93 each.
Office task chairs costing $608.27 each.
Numerous L-shaped desks priced at more than $7,000.
Guest chairs at $407 each.
Break room café tables at $737.28 each.
Training room chairs at $529.38 each.
Register of Deeds workstations costing $3,560.66 each.
Numerous U-shaped desks priced at $5,910.45.
Jury assembly chairs at $338.80 each.
Side tables costing $877 each.
"The question isn't whether county employees deserve a safe and functional workplace - they absolutely do,” added King. “The question is whether taxpayers should be expected to pay premium prices for furnishings when more economical alternatives are available."
King said responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars requires county leaders to distinguish between needs and wants.
"Every expenditure should be scrutinized with the same care a family would use when spending its own money. I believe most Cleveland County residents would be shocked to learn we're considering $1,400 trash cans, $7,000 desks, and nearly $700 office chairs."
(Continued below photos of the furniture....)
King also renewed his call for greater transparency surrounding spending associated with the Justice Center project.
"Taxpayers deserve to know why some existing furniture cannot be reused, what competitive bidding process was followed, whether lower-cost alternatives were considered, and who approved these purchases. Government works for the people, not the other way around."
King also vowed to get answers and give Cleveland County residents the respect they deserve.
"As your next County Commissioner, I will fight for transparency, fiscal responsibility, and common-sense budgeting. Every taxpayer dollar should be treated as if it came directly from our own pocket, because it does."
(Look for the furniture budget list, with the $7,000 desks, below ...)
COURTHOUSE OFFICE LEVEL 1:
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
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