The Cypress City Council on July 14 approved a one-year pilot to delegate administrative approval of certain routine capital improvement projects to the city manager and adopted an ordinance raising municipal purchasing authority limits.

The pilot covers eight routine or recurring projects drawn from the fiscal-year capital improvement program (CIP) and the city confirmed those projects total $6,500,000. The council also approved a code update that reflects an inflation-adjusted purchasing threshold that city staff said is $161,000 under current CPI calculations.

Supporters, including longtime resident John Pete, told the council the streamlining measure would speed delivery, reduce inflation exposure and free council time for higher-profile policy decisions. Pete said the eight projects recommended for administrative approval were routine and remain subject to current bidding and purchasing standards.

Opponents and several public speakers urged caution. Linda Stock and other residents said raising the amount of spending that can be approved without a council vote reduces public review and weakens oversight. Some speakers also asked for clearer limits and transparency measures after prior news reports and earlier public concerns about contracts and city staff.

City staff and the director of finance said the ordinance does not eliminate competitive bidding requirements; it updates an old $100,000 baseline (from 2008) to reflect a CPI adjustment and aligns the code with recent council-resolved adjustments. Staff emphasized that routine projects proposed for the pilot are those that historically have been approved repeatedly and that each project remains limited by its adopted CIP budget.

Council debate focused on balancing operational efficiency with public oversight. Mayor Pro Tem Medrano and two other council members said they supported the pilot as a limited, reversible test; Councilmember Chang and Mayor Burke said they opposed expanding administrative approval without tighter, project-specific monetary caps. The council directed staff to report administratively approved projects to the council quarterly.

The formal motion — to adopt the ordinance amending municipal code section 21A and move forward with the pilot as described in the staff report — was moved by Councilmember Menickas, seconded by Councilmember Pete and carried 3-2 (yes: Medrano, Menickas, Pete; no: Burke, Chang).

What comes next: staff will implement the pilot for the eight specified projects, continue to apply public-works procurement rules and provide quarterly reports to the council. Councilmembers said they would revisit the pilot if it proves problematic or if residents file substantiated concerns.