Taxpayer group outraged by cost of Toronto City Hall chairs 27 (UPI) -- A Toronto taxpayers' group criticized the city government for spending more than $72,000 on 30 chairs for the City Hall lounge. Natasha Hinds Fitzsimmins, an official with the Toronto government, said the chairs were purchased in late 2012 for about $2,422 each because the old Warren Platner chairs in the lounge -- which is used to host city functions and private meetings between city councilors -- were in a "bad state of disrepair," the Toronto Sun reported Friday. "The original Warren Platner chairs were replaced with new, replica chairs, matching as close to the original as possible," she said. Due to the age of the original chairs and the wear and tear of day-to-day use, the chairs were in a bad state of disrepair. The chairs have been reupholstered/refurbished twice over their life span," Hinds Fitzsimmins said. The upholstery fabric was worn and has pulled away from the wire mesh form exposing the foam. In addition, the original molds are cracked and some wires are broken, disconnected or bent, causing instability in the base and the structural shell. The Toronto Taxpayers Coalition said the city has been playing "musical chairs" with taxpayer funds. "This is completely unacceptable," coalition spokesman Matthew McGuire said. Surely, the City of Toronto can find a better deal on 30 chairs... This is exactly what voters wanted to stop in the last election.