Council reopens discussion on contract review after staff report shows volume of large professional service agreements

City purchasing staff on Wednesday presented an analysis of the city’s contracting volume and procurement timelines and asked council whether it wanted to require council review of more contracts. The report showed many contracts historically coded as “professional services” and a large rolled‑up “other purchases” category that councilors said needs immediate clarification before they consider expanding formal council approvals. Why it matters: several council members said they have been surprised by the size or timing of some contracts in recent months and want improved transparency for multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar professional‑services agreements and for large sums appearing in an "other" category. Council stressed it did not want to slow routine operational purchases but sought a clear approach to identify categories and dollar thresholds for council review. What staff presented: Levi Dyer, the city’s purchasing manager, summarized procurement code and the current practice: the charter delegates purchasing policy to council through code, and city code requires signatures for contracts at $100,000 and above by the city manager, city attorney and finance director but does not currently require council approval for most procurement. Staff compared Greeley to neighboring cities and showed Greeley is one of several not requiring automatic council approval. The presentation included contract counts by commodity and value bands for 2022–2024 and a process map: the current execution timeline averages 4–8 weeks while adding a council review step could add roughly 5–6 weeks. Council reaction and requested follow up: council members asked for an immediate, department‑level breakout of contracts currently coded as “other” and a clearer mapping of how professional services and consulting contracts relate to CIP projects. Council sought options for targeted code changes (for example a new category, a higher threshold or a consent‑agenda listing of larger contracts) rather than a blanket requirement for all contracts to come to council. Staff agreed to provide a memo and to return with a work session that shows the detailed breakout and policy options.