A corporation wishes to determine the fixed portion of its maintenance expense (a semivariable expense), as measured against direct labor hours, for the first 3 months of the year. The inspection costs are fixed; the adjustments necessitated by errors found during inspection account for the variable portion of the maintenance costs. Information for the first quarter is as follows:

Direct Labor Hours Maintenance Expense
January 34,000 $610
February 31,000 $585
March 34,000 $610

Required:
What is the fixed portion of Jacob's maintenance expense, rounded to the nearest dollar?

a. $283
b. $327
c. $258
d. $541