CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court officials are disputing county Executive Ed FitzGerald's claim that he lopped $800,000 from a computer contract for the new Juvenile Justice Center.

FitzGerald -- who has slammed the $189 million center for its pricey furnishings -- did not mandate all of the reductions, court Administrator Marita Kavalec said Monday in a meeting with Plain Dealer reporters and editors.

Kavalec said bond lawyers recommended some of the cuts. And many of the requests will be resubmitted, she said, for payment later, from other county accounts.

"We said, 'No problem, we'll deal with it another time,' " she said.

Told of Kavalec's remarks, FitzGerald's staff defended the executive's original assertions.

David Merriman, FitzGerald's special assistant, said the administration eliminated $309,000 from the court's request for computers, printers and servers, for good. He added that the administration contacted the bond lawyers who recommended other reductions.

Merriman said he expects the court will resubmit some requests, such as a $475,000 maintenance agreement for 'a case-management system, but approval is not guaranteed.

"Some of that stuff isn't coming back," said FitzGerald's spokesman, John Kohlstrand. "Some is under review."

The court had planned to move March 24 into the complex at Quincy Avenue and East 93rd Street. That date has been postponed indefinitely while the new county government analyzes final contracts for the complex.

Two decades in the making, the center was envisioned in 2000 as a $50 million detention center. But five years later, county commissioners opted to add a nine-story court tower. The price tag eventually rose to $189 million.

The original $2.5 million computer contract for the court cleared the county's Automated Data Processing Board in December.

Then, in his first month in office, FitzGerald examined the request. He objected to Administrative Judge Thomas O'Malley's request for a desktop and two laptops, he said last month.

FitzGerald's administration contacted a bond attorney, who said that tens of thousands of dollars worth of computers for employees in satellite offices could not be included in the construction budget. Staff also asked the court to list all computers purchased in the last five years, and reuse those.

Kavalec said the court now plans to reuse 28 computers.

"We are all working together to reach our common goal, moving the court to our new facility." O'Malley said.

County Council has yet to consider the slimmed-down computer contract. And Councilwoman Sunny Simon, who chairs the Justice Affairs Committee, said getting the computers will take at least eight weeks, once 'a contract is approved.

Simon's committee has toured the courthouse, with a $25,000 custom conference table and $21,500 in staff exercise equipment. She plans to research how the court budget expanded from $50 million to $189 million.

Juvenile court officials, meanwhile, defended the grand structure.

"You need to make a statement this is a court of law," said Judge Peter Sikora. "It will help us do our jobs."

Said spokeswoman Mary Davidson, "We feel we deserve this fabulous building."

Sikora quickly added that "deserve" is not the right word to describe the feeling.