According to furniture costs discussed this week, 20 of the town staff desks are proposed to cost $55,244, or $2,762 a piece. The desks are electronic stand-up versions. Above is a proposed look at the mayor’s office inside Town Hall.

By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(July 16, 2026) A quarter-million-dollar furniture package proposed for Berlin’s renovated Town Hall was tabled this week after councilmembers and residents expressed concerns that the expenditure is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars.

Up for consideration before the Town Council Monday night was a $252,773 request to outfit the municipality’s Town Hall, a building currently undergoing extensive renovation.

The town is working with OMNIA Partners for the furniture part of the project. The company provides government agencies with competitively priced equipment and, for Berlin’s Town Hall remodel, has secured products from the supplier Teknion.

An itemized breakdown of the proposed furnishings were:

• 138 seats for $55,166 at an average of $400 a piece;
• 20 desks for $55,244 at $2,762 each;
• 12 secondary desks for $6,326 at $527 each;
• 10 bookcases for $4,001 at $400 each;
• 14 tackboards and whiteboards for $4,728 at $338 each;
• six conference tables for $4,602 at $767 each; f
• our council chamber desks for $1,919 at $480 each;
• three lobby tables for $1,049 at $350 each;
• one lectern at $753;
• 18 filing shelves and pedestals for $7,979 at $443 each;
• 24 storage configurations for $32,498 at $1,354 each;
• eight wardrobe towers for $5,388 at $674 each;
• 17 modesty panels for $2,676 at $157 each.

Also included in the cost are a $25,822 art and design package, a $2,100 specification and design fee, and a $29,687 delivery and installation fee.

Daniele Haley of Haley Architecture, the West Ocean City firm handling the building restoration, presented some specifics about the equipment her team proposed to install in the updated Town Hall when it’s move-in ready.

She said that the planned desks in the 14 administrative offices would be U-shaped and height-adjustable to allow for sitting or standing.

For chairs, Haley said the selected seats are mid-range in quality and price, with an average cost of $400 each.

The architect added that the proposed office chairs come with a 15-year, 24/7 warranty.

Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall explained how this replacement deal works.

“A typical office chair, when you go buy it, the warranty might say, if you use it for eight hours, that is what we will warranty it for,” he said. “If you work more than eight hours in this chair, it voids the warranty. So, in areas where we have dispatchers working multiple shifts in the same chair, or if folks are working longer than an eight-hour day, it would void the warranty.

“This warranty, you could hypothetically sit in it every day, every hour for 15 years and it would still be warrantied.”

The proposal also includes about 45 new seats for the council chambers that Tyndall said are easier to clean.

The price tag for the Town Hall furniture, which the council later postponed for further review until its next meeting, prompted an impassioned response from residents.

Citizen Carol Rose argued that the municipality should have aimed to reuse furnishings where possible, rather than obtain all new equipment.

For example, Director of Public Works Jimmy Charles said about 35 old council chamber chairs are in storage that, while not in prime condition, could be salvaged. However, Monday night’s proposal recommended replacing them with all new seats.

“It’s a waste of money if we’ve got chairs that work,” Rose said.

Tyndall maintained that the upgraded chairs would be armless for accessibility and easier to sanitize.

Resident Mary Hedlesky maintained that the $250,000 expenditure is an excessive financial burden on taxpayers, even though the benefits would be reaped primarily by town staff.

“I would rather see us do something else,” she said. “We don’t spend money wisely. It’s time we start taking a step back and looking at how this money is being spent. And I hear…we’re looking out for the staff. And I appreciate everything the staff does. But what about the residents? We’re the ones still sitting here dealing with these ridiculous issues. West Street looks like a warzone. And then we’re sitting here bouncing around $253,000 for furniture.”

Hedlesky added that not only does the furniture carry a hefty price tag, but it also lacks the characteristics of the town’s historic aesthetic.

“This furniture, I think it’s ugly,” she continued. “…it does not enhance the historic nature of this building at all.”

The mayor noted that the historic character was preserved in the actual building renovation. However, the chairs, tables, and desks prioritized staff comfort.

“We’re hiring a workforce that is not going to work at a nursing home or a funeral home,” he said. “We are trying to attract a millennial workforce … hey want a standing desk, they want to be able to work in a space that is open and bright. We have respected the historic nature of the building while also trying to make sure it has the things we need for the modern workforce as well as recruitment and retention.”

Resident Marie Velong said less money should be spent on furniture and more should be allocated to audio and video capabilities to improve virtual meeting viewing.

Tyndall said that audio and video upgrades will be presented to the council at a later date.

In addition to the citizens’ problems with the $252,000 price tag, council members also had serious misgivings.

Councilman Steve Green took particular issue with the $400-a-piece chairs.

“When I look at $400, I think that’s very expensive,” he said. “I wouldn’t pay that, so I wouldn’t expect the taxpayers to pay.”

Councilman Jack Orris asked Haley to explain the arts and design portion of the project. The architect said this cost includes 61 pieces of art, as well as the enlargement and framing.

Orris suggested that the cost of art could be reduced by seeking donations from local artists.

“There’s no reason someone from the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum can’t offer to put a picture in the town lobby for a month or two,” he said.

Councilman Jay Knerr added that he would prefer the furniture costs to fall between $175,000 and $200,000. Tyndall cautioned that the figure may be unrealistic, given that 24 workspaces in Town Hall will need to be equipped with the appropriate desks, chairs, and storage configurations.

The council tabled the discussion and asked Haley to return to the council’s next meeting with a revised cost estimate. The vote to postpone the action item was unanimous, with Councilmember Shaneka Nichols absent.