Commission revises procurement authority: administrator and finance director may approve under‑budget purchases under $10,000

The commission revisited a recently adopted procurement policy after staff and department heads raised concerns that routine, budgeted purchases would be slowed by the policy’s original approval thresholds.

County staff explained the policy’s intent: to align county procurement with federal, state and local requirements and to clarify authority for purchase approvals. Multiple department heads gave examples of routine, budgeted purchases they make that can exceed thresholds but are within an approved department budget — items such as culverts, road patch, and repair parts for equipment.

After discussion, commissioners agreed to amend the authority section. Under the amendment the board approved at the meeting, department heads may make purchases within their approved budgets without further approvals. If a purchase is out of the department’s approved budget and is under $10,000, the county administrator and the director of finance/tax may jointly approve it. Purchases that are out of budget and $10,000 or more must be brought to the commission for approval. The commission also asked staff to memorialize the new language and return a clean policy for the next meeting.

Commissioners said the change aims to preserve fiscal controls while avoiding administrative delays for routine operations. Staff will update the written procurement policy to reflect the revised thresholds and circulate the final language for commission review.