County Won’t Pay $650 Otis Elevator Surcharge — Even Though Contract Allows It

July 1, 2026/Newspaper Staff/

Montgomery County Board Buildings & Grounds Committee Meeting | June 2, 2026

Article Summary: Otis Elevator has notified Montgomery County of a fuel and logistics surcharge totaling $650, and County Coordinator Mike Plunkett told the Buildings & Grounds Committee on June 2 that a review of the contract found the company is within its rights to impose it. The committee agreed not to pay the bill until further information is acquired.

Otis Elevator Surcharge Key Points:

Otis Elevator informed the county it has implemented a fuel and logistics surcharge totaling $650.
After reviewing the contract, Plunkett told the committee Otis is within its rights to implement the surcharge under the contract the county signed.
Maintenance Director Phil Ernst agreed to investigate possible options on ways to move forward.
The committee agreed not to pay the bill until further information is acquired. No motion or vote was recorded.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County is holding off on a $650 elevator bill it has been advised it likely owes, the Buildings & Grounds Committee decided on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Otis Elevator reached out to County Coordinator Mike Plunkett to inform the county that it has implemented a fuel and logistics surcharge totaling $650. After reviewing the contract, Plunkett informed the committee that Otis is within its rights to implement a fuel and logistics surcharge according to the contract the county signed with the company.

Maintenance Director Phil Ernst agreed to investigate possible options on ways to move forward, with the committee agreeing not to pay the bill until further information is acquired.

No Vote, No Deadline

The minutes record no motion and no vote on the item. The committee’s position is characterized in the record as an agreement not to pay pending more information, not as a formal action.

The record does not state what elevator or elevators the contract covers, the term or value of the underlying Otis contract, when the surcharge was imposed or when the bill is due, or what consequences non-payment might carry. It does not describe what options Ernst intends to investigate or when he expects to report back, and it does not record discussion among committee members on the item.

The item had been previewed at the Coordinating Committee’s May 28 meeting, where it was listed among the Buildings and Grounds Committee’s upcoming business for review and discussion.

The surcharge was one of three substantive items before the committee on June 2, alongside Ernst’s 66-item maintenance report and an update on the county’s 127 N. Main property. Present were Committee Chair Mark Hughes, Russell Beason, Connie Beck, Keith Hancock and Evan Young; Doug Donaldson was absent. The meeting ran 29 minutes, adjourning at 8:59 a.m.