Board pleased with processes now in place
By Barb Pert Templeton
The second reading of Purchasing Ordinance 25-001 was conducted at the recent Jan. 23 Marine City Commission meeting and then passed by a unanimous vote of the board.
As part of the Charter Amendments, approved by a vote of the people in Nov. 2024, a purchasing ordinance was to be created per the amended charter language. Officials were being asked to approve Ordinance 25-001, an ordinance that would repeal and replace previous documents related to Purchasing, Contracts and Sale/Disposal of Property.
There was little discussion about the ordinance being replaced at the recent meeting but officials talked about it at length during the first reading at a Jan. 9 meeting.
City Attorney Robert Davis said the structure of the new ordinance for purchasing was worked on by himself and the staff at city hall.
At that time Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Hendrick said she liked the notifications and processes built into the ordinance calling them “safe guards” against funds just being spent by administrators without telling the commission.
“You’re doing a great job but down the road we don’t need to get another person in here that just goes in and spends the money without notifying us and that’s happened in the past,” Hendrick said to City Manager Micheal Reaves. “And I want to make sure that no matter what you spend we are aware of it by some type of report or letting us know one way or another so that we know it’s getting spent and we know about it.”
“The key here was transparency hence the notifications by multiple people be it email, text or verbal,” City Manager Michael Reaves replied.
City Attorney Robert Davis said the process used for creating the ordinance had him presenting the city manager with a structure of an ordinance and then they reviewed notes from the commission and administration with concerns about past purchasing practices.
“So, we structured it and then we filled it in,” Davis said. “It was a good process and everybody on the staff at input so it was a good work effort.”
Here are some highlighted changes in the new ordinance:
Section 34-02 Purchasing Agent
The City Manager / Purchasing Agent for the City, together with the Treasurer shall be responsible for a review of this ordinance as it pertains to values, purchasing power, inflation, etc. A recommendation will be made to the Board of Commissioners at the same meeting as the fee schedule is set.
Section 34-05 Purchasing and Competitive Bidding
Part E #3 – Bidding process: All bids, quotes or proposals will require the bidder to publicly list past work experiences with the city – stating the date of the project or work, type of project or work, value of the contract awarded;
Section 34-06 Purchasing in an emergency purchase
The Purchasing Agent shall get telephone approval of two Commission members and require email notification within 7 days to all Commissioners. In addition, the Treasurer shall be notified of such emergency purchase as well. An additional follow-up of a text or email shall also follow to the same two Commissioners and the Treasurer in regards to the emergency purchase.
34-11 Sale of City Property
The Treasurer shall designate a special account for the sale of city property. The Board of Commission shall determine where those funds can or should be utilized.
Section 34-12 Gift rebates prohibited; Conflict of interest prohibited
a) All officials and employees of the City are prohibited from soliciting, demanding, accepting or agreeing to accept directory or indirectly, from any person to which a contract might be awarded or is awarded any gift, offer of employment, rebate, money or anything of material value whatsoever, except were given for the sole use and benefit of the City.
b) The City will not enter a contract to furnish supplies or contractual services to the City from any City official, his spouse, child or parent, or from any corporation, association or partnership in which any City official, his spouse, child or parent, has any direct or indirect interest.
The use of business luncheons for employees shall not exceed fifty $50.00 in any one incident.
