Township Manager Derek and staff presented a redraft of the purchasing and bidding policy at the Nov. 10 meeting, proposing several substantive changes intended to align procurement rules with current operations and reduce administrative overhead.

Key proposed changes included: requiring three written quotes for purchases costing $2,500–$10,000; increasing the formal sealed-bid threshold from $5,000 to $10,000 (while retaining competitive requirements below that level); removing longstanding purchase-order practice that the township has not used for years; and adding a quick-reference chart to simplify decision-making. Derek said the changes reflect both state requirements (bonding and insurance for contracts exceeding $50,000) and input from department managers who regularly oversee bids.

Trustees flagged several concerns. Trustee Mark worried $10,000 was too high and suggested either lowering the threshold or adding a further breakout (for example $2,500–$5,000, $5,005–$10,000); Trustee Kevin and others emphasized the board retains approval authority for unbudgeted items and can require additional review. Several trustees asked whether the finance director or clerk should review RFPs for completeness; managers said the policy now specifies required RFP components so department managers can rely on a checklist, but a clerk/finance review could be considered.

The board did not vote; members agreed to place the draft changes on the next meeting’s action agenda and to consider forming a subcommittee for a deeper review of policies and adherence to existing procedures.

Next steps: staff to produce an action item reflecting the draft changes for the next board meeting and, if desired, the board may convene a policy subcommittee to examine deeper governance and compliance issues.