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Milford council sets charter spending threshold tied to state law at 60% after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing and committee debate, councilors agreed to tie the city manager’s unvoted spending threshold to 60% of the state’s minimum bidding amount; council also approved placing proposed charter revisions on the November ballot.
Councilors on July 15 completed a public hearing and committee discussion on proposed revisions to the Milford City Charter, including the city manager’s unvoted spending authority. The council voted to link the manager’s spending threshold to 60% of the minimum bidding amount required by state law and to submit the charter revisions to voters in November 2025.
The discussion focused on how to set a durable spending threshold that balances managerial flexibility and council oversight. Council Member Vilardo said he could not support the higher threshold that had been proposed and preferred a lower cap: “$25,000 is my personal cap,” he said during committee debate. Other council members and the city manager argued that too-low limits would hamper operations for routine purchases and infrastructure work.
Law Director Brian Pacheco and City Manager Greg Gunderson explained how tying the limit to state law would allow the threshold to rise automatically if state minimums change, avoiding frequent charter amendments. Gunderson warned that a very low number would render the manager’s delegated authority ineffective, saying that modest increases “do nothing for me,” referring to operational purchasing needs.
Council members ultimately instructed law staff to revise the charter language to set the manager’s unvoted spending authority at 60% of the minimum bidding amount required by general law, an approach intended to produce a practical dollar threshold now while allowing it to adjust over time with statewide changes. The committee then moved the full charter package forward. Council later passed an ordinance to place the proposed charter revisions on the November 2025 ballot; the clerk will mail the required materials to registered voters and the package will be certified to the Boards of Elections.
The charter revision ordinance and related amendments were adopted by council at the July 15 meeting for submission to the electorate rather than enacted directly by council. Voters will decide whether to approve the changes in the November 2025 election.
