Administration spells out policy to committee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The administration of Gov. Bill Haslam has revealed the scope of its outsourcing of state office space.
The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/12JPjQ5 ) reported Haslam’s chief of staff, Mark Cates, acknowledged to the state legislature’s Fiscal Review Committee that the administration could have been more transparent in the plan.
A $38 million contract with Chicago-based real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle pays management and expense fees as state workers are moved into leased office space. Another contract gives the firm 4 percent commissions on the 10-year rental fees.
The two-hour presentation Tuesday was the first comprehensive review lawmakers have received on the change, which represents a major shift in state policy.
After the presentation by Cate, Republican Sen. Bill Ketron (KEH’-tron) of Murfreesboro said the contracts were legal and “above board.”
