Tulare County board introduces ordinance updates to purchasing, raising equipment and public‑works thresholds

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors unanimously moved to introduce two ordinance amendments from the General Services Agency intended to align county purchasing rules with updated federal and state standards.

The first ordinance, presented by Brooke Sisk and Maria Lopez of the General Services Agency and Purchasing Division, would amend Section 135‑10 of the County Ordinance Code to raise the equipment capitalization threshold from $5,000 to $10,000. Maria Lopez said the change follows revised guidance from the Office of Management and Budget under Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (effective for federal awards issued on or after Oct. 1, 2024) and an updated County Auditor‑Controller capital assets procedures manual. The proposed ordinance applies to equipment purchases made on or after Aug. 7 of the year noted in the presentation; previously capitalized items would continue to depreciate over their useful life. The board set adoption of the ordinance for July 8, 2025.

The second ordinance, also introduced by the General Services Agency, amends Section 103‑1285 of the County Ordinance Code to update public works contracting authority in line with changes to the California Public Contract Code and the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (UPCCA). Maria Lopez explained that the no‑bid threshold increases from $60,000 to $75,000 and the informal bidding threshold rises from $200,000 to $220,000 under recent state amendments; the ordinance text is being revised to state the updated dollar amounts for clarity though the code is written to adopt changes automatically. Adoption of this ordinance also was set for July 8, 2025.

Nut graf: County staff said both changes bring Tulare County’s procurement rules into alignment with federal OMB guidance and recent state law updates, reduce administrative burdens for low‑value items, and clarify reporting and bidding expectations for staff and vendors.

Board members asked procedural questions about state authority and update frequency; Maria Lopez and other staff confirmed the Public Contract Code is a state code and noted the thresholds have not been updated on a fixed schedule. Both introductions passed unanimously (motions to introduce were moved by Supervisor Valero and seconded by Supervisor Townsend for the first ordinance, and moved by Supervisor Shucklian and seconded by Supervisor Valero for the second ordinance).

Ending: Both ordinances will return to the board for final adoption on July 8, 2025. Staff said the changes will allow departments to focus inventory and contracting oversight on higher‑value assets while maintaining internal controls for lower‑cost items.