Commissioners approve resolution allowing automatic electronic vendor payments with departmental oversight

The board approved Resolution 2026-2, authorizing automatic electronic payments for certain recurring vendor services, after staff said the county's phone-system vendor (Intermedia) requires automated payments for recurring monthly fees.

Clayton, the county attorney, presented the resolution and said it would be limited to recurring payments where the county retains invoice review and departmental approval before funds are released. He told the commissioners that Intermedia asked for automatic payments and that departments would still receive and approve detailed invoices in advance of scheduled remittance dates.

Commissioners asked about safeguards. Clayton said the resolution keeps oversight in place: departments must approve invoices before scheduled auto-payment dates and staff would be alerted if an automatic payment differed materially from expected amounts. Commissioners voted to approve the short title "a resolution authorizing automatic electronic payments for vendor services." No additional policy changes were adopted beyond authorizing the mechanism with invoice review.

Why this matters: The resolution permits operational efficiency for recurring vendor contracts while preserving departmental invoice review as a check on automated debits.

Next steps: Departments should ensure invoice procedures are in place and monitor initial automated payments to confirm amounts match expected contractual charges.