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Commission reviews updated purchasing-card policy aimed at faster reconciliations
Summary
At the same work session staff presented a revised purchasing/card policy that replaces older 'credit card' language, requires department heads to submit reconciliations within one week to the clerk-auditor and aligns penalty language with state code; staff said the changes give the clerk-auditor stronger enforcement ability.
San Juan County staff presented a proposed update to the county’s credit-card policy on April 7, replacing older 'credit card' language with a purchasing-card policy and tightened reconciliation requirements.
Terra (staff) told commissioners the prior policy left ambiguities about when departments must turn in receipts and reconciliations. The draft requires department heads and elected officials with county cards to submit reconciliation documentation to the clerk-auditor within one week of receipt, which staff said will allow the clerk-auditor to enforce timely submission. "It gives her a little teeth to then hold department heads' feet to the fire on getting her the required documents for the purchasing card," Terra said during the presentation.
Staff noted the previous employee-penalty language (which in earlier drafts included reimbursement plus a punitive percentage) was revised to align with current state law rather than the harsher prior language. The policy committee and department heads reviewed the draft, and staff said the purchasing policy links to the county purchasing thresholds to allow routine administrative updates without returning to the ordinance text for minor amount changes.
The item was presented as an action item; staff described the rationale and the internal review process and answered commissioners’ questions. The transcript does not record a final adoption vote on the purchasing/card policy. Staff indicated the policy was vetted by department heads and the policy committee and will be returned for formal action in the commission’s regular agenda process.
What’s next: Staff will incorporate any final edits and return the purchasing-card policy for formal consideration; the clerk-auditor will use the revised reconciliation timeline once the policy is adopted.
