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Imperial Beach council introduces ordinance to raise city manager purchasing limit to $75,000
Summary
Council introduced and moved forward an amendment to Chapter 3.04 of the municipal code to increase the city manager's authority from $45,000 to $75,000, citing rising costs and peer-city comparisons; council supported waiving further reading and advancing adoption.
The Imperial Beach City Council on April 1 introduced an ordinance to amend Chapter 3.04 of the municipal code to raise the city manager's purchasing and contract-execution authority from $45,000 to $75,000.
Chief Administrative Officer Erica Cortez explained the change responds to rising construction and service costs and aligns Imperial Beach with neighboring cities such as Coronado, Chula Vista and El Cajon. "We analyzed [peer-city thresholds] and brought forward a recommendation of up to $75,000," she said.
Councilmembers expressed support for allowing more timely procurement without waiting for biweekly council meetings. Councilmember Seaberry said, "With the price of everything going up, we can't keep our city manager's hands tied," and Mayor Pro Tem Fisher asked whether the ordinance preserves emergency authorization for the manager and mayor; staff confirmed emergency procedures remain.
City Clerk Kelly read the ordinance title into the record and the council voted to introduce the ordinance, waive additional readings and schedule final adoption at the next meeting. The motion carried unanimously.
Staff said the proposed change applies only to properly budgeted purchases; any unbudgeted expenditures would still require council approval.
