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Commission reviews $30,000 operating balance, carryover funds and P‑card spending limits
Summary
Treasurer Afton Gels reported a $30,000 operating balance and discussed potential carryovers (approximately $5,000 for community little‑library supplies and an $11,000 outreach/education carryover). Gels reminded members that a city P‑card cannot be used for single purchases over $5,000 and advised planning requests around procurement rules.
At the November meeting, Afton Gels, the commission treasurer and the Department of City Planning's principal planner for sustainability and resilience, told members the Clean Pittsburgh Commission has roughly $30,000 available for the year and identified two possible carryovers under discussion: a community supplies line (about $5,000) and an outreach/education carryover previously identified as roughly $11,000 (figures discussed in the meeting were still being reconciled).
"So we are back to our initial of having $30,000," Gels said while reviewing the finance spreadsheet. She and other members noted the $11,000 outreach figure may be $12,000 depending on final invoices and agreed to reconcile totals. Lisa Eberhardt and others agreed to resend invoices and confirm DPW entries to ensure accurate accounting.
Gels outlined procurement constraints: the city P‑card is the preferred payment method and she is the P‑card holder, but she said she cannot authorize single P‑card purchases over $5,000 and that one $5,000 onetime payment is the practical limit under current processes. "I can't do anything over $5,000," Gels said, urging members to submit quotes and requests in advance so the finance committee can evaluate them before the October deadline for closing the books.
Why it matters: members said clearer SOPs for external funding requests and internal approval timelines would help the commission spend its allocations more efficiently and avoid missing city accounting deadlines. Next steps: finance committee will draft SOPs, reconcile the invoice noted in the meeting, and request spending proposals by the finance‑committee meeting the Tuesday before the next CPC meeting.
