It sounded ridiculous, even to the Howard County Commissioners. A copy machine had broken in the adult probation office, and director Don Travis suggested that the county should buy three copiers to replace it. In fact, they would be money ahead to do it.
Buy three to replace one. No, the probation department didn't expect a sudden influx of new clients or anything like that. The department has three copiers already, but two of them still function; they're just old. Rather than eke out every last ounce of productivity from these veteran machines, Travis postulated that a vendor might be willing to cut the county a better deal on three new copiers than on just one.
That was on March 7. The commissioners listened politely to Travis' pitch and then told him to get some numbers to back up his contention. Two weeks later, he did. And to a certain extent he was correct. Buying three copy machines for the probation office would save the county about $14,500 over the next five years. That's actually more than the cost of an average high-speed business copier.
At the same time, the copier in Howard Superior Court I broke. The 8-year-old machine churns out almost 100,000 copies a year, which sounds like a big number. Today's copiers, if the literature can be believed, can turn out that many copies a month without breaking a sweat. But, as judge Bill Menges explained, this was an old copier. He purchased it for his law office and brought it with him when he became judge.
It is more than broken, the judge told the commissioners when he appeared alongside Travis at the March 21 meeting. There are no parts available to repair it. The business handling the service contract had to cannibalize another old copier of the same model just to keep it going.
Commissioner Paul Wyman, knowing a bargain when he hears it, saw a solution. Considering that Travis had unearthed an excellent deal on his three copiers, perhaps buying a fourth would generate even more savings. After all, the vendor was giving a bulk discount.
Before we get to how Wyman made this proposal, it may be appropriate to examine just how Travis conjured up a buy two, get one free deal on copiers. Actually, he didn't. While the vendor is offering a lower price in light of potentially selling three copiers, it is nowhere near $14,500. It's actually about $1,000. So, where is the savings?
Printer ink. That's right. One of the most expensive liquids on earth, only exceeded in cost by human insulin, LSD, Chanel No. 5, and scorpion venom. The internet says so.
The adult probation office has a number of printers. And they use a lot of ink. At $30 a cartridge, most home computer aficionados can attest that this is a significant ongoing expense, even for casual use. Travis explained that the printers get constant use in his office.
Here is the clever part. Today's copy machines can do double duty as printers. Instead of having a bunch of printers guzzling ink like it's water, those printing jobs could be handled by the three new copiers. The commissioners understood they could save considerably more than 15 percent on the copiers.
Back to Wyman. He posited that judge Menges would be well-advised to take part in the deal that Travis had negotiated. A few of the more attentive attendees might actually have seen a sparkle in Wyman's eye as he made the suggestion. This was bulk purchasing at its best; a chance to save the taxpayers some money and solve a problem at the same time.
The room went silent. In truth, it was already quiet, save for some light snoring, perhaps. But it was empowered with dramatic effect at that moment. The judge didn't want the adult probation deal; their copiers weren't good enough for his office. They only produced 50 copies per minute; his office needs 60 copies per minute.
After all, his staff spends significant time standing at the copy machine each day. He didn't have any jaw-dropping numbers about how much time would be saved by those extra 10 copies per minute. Instead, he employed the "faster is better" argument.
It's also, it seems, more expensive. And the bigger, faster copier wasn't a part of Travis' special deal. Wyman made an attempt or two to redirect Menges with the shiny discount, but the judge wouldn't be distracted. Finally, the commissioners asked whether Howard Superior I would take advantage of the deal, or make its own case to the board at a later date.
Menges said no deal. The sparkle faded from Wyman's eye, and the light snoring resumed.
Later that day, the judge explained his reasoning to the Perspective. As a judge, he can require the county to make the purchase of his preferred model of copy machine. It is necessary for the proper carriage of justice, after all. He won't make that ultimatum, he said, for fear that the newspaper might "ride him high."
Instead, he will make the request and depend upon the officials to simply comply. He won't perform a time study to demonstrate the greater office efficiency that the nicer model will produce. His copier -- not the court's -- is old and broken. The court needs a copier and doesn't own one, and Menges has identified the model that best meets his office's specific needs. What more is there to say?
http://www.kokomoperspective.c...1c-001cc4c03286.html
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