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Council questions proposed purchasing code changes, asks for limits comparison and clearer language on award criteria
Summary
Finance staff proposed updating municipal purchasing thresholds and delegation limits to align with a recent state construction cost accounting change; councilmembers raised concerns about raising city manager authority, requested comparisons with neighboring jurisdictions and asked that cost remain an explicit factor in award language.
The council discussed proposed updates to Chapter 3.08 of the municipal code to modernize the city’s purchasing and delegation thresholds and align some limits with the California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (CUPCCAA) changes that took effect in January 2025.
Finance Director Kim Sitton summarized the proposal to increase authorization limits (for example, aligning public project thresholds with CUPCCAA and proposing $75,000 for department directors and $220,000 for the city manager under one recommended option). Sitton said the changes aim to streamline procurement, reflect inflation since 2018 and reduce approval timelines.
A public commenter raised concerns about potential lack of oversight for non‑tangible professional services and asked for more daylighting when the city manager or departments use delegated authority. Several councilmembers agreed and requested additional information before deciding on any increases to the city manager’s approval limit. Councilmember Daddario and others pressed staff to preserve objective elements in award criteria; one councilmember asked that “cost” remain an explicit factor rather than replacing the phrase "lowest total cost" with a broader "greatest overall value to the city" without qualification.
Councilmembers suggested several policy refinements: require quarterly reporting or a summary of delegated approvals to increase transparency; carve out goods/materials from higher service limits if desired; limit delegation of authority to temporary circumstances (for example, delegations exceeding 30 days require city manager approval); and return with a comparison of other local agencies’ delegation limits. Finance staff and the city attorney agreed to bring back amended ordinance language, provide a comparison to peer cities’ manager/delegate limits and add clarifying language that price/cost will remain an explicit factor in award determinations for applicable procurements.
Council did not adopt the ordinance at the meeting; staff will return with revised language and additional comparative data.
