Council orders review of PECard and conference spending and directs new guidelines

A long debate over the city's disbursement report and PECard (purchase card) transactions ended May 27 with the Elgin City Council directing staff to conduct an analysis of council PECard and conference expenditures from calendar year 2025 to the present, update the transparency webpage to match approved disbursements, and draft clear guidelines and best practices for PECard usage.

Council member Ortiz led the discussion, raising concerns about specific charges including Uber trips, a reported overweight bag fee and apparent mismatches between approved agenda items and the city's online transparency page. "So far we have 9,000 allocated to the city council for expenditures for conferences and other miscellaneous things," Ortiz said on the record, and he moved that staff analyze PECard expenditures and propose guidelines.

Council members debated scope, with Miss Powell urging that staff review PECard expenditures for staff as well as council and others suggesting clearer onboarding and receipt-keeping guidance after inconsistent experiences. Council member Al Faro said clear guidelines for receipts and tax handling would be helpful to new members.

The motion—restated to direct staff to analyze council PECard expenditures from 2025 to present, create usage guidelines and best practices, and update the city's transparency page—passed by roll call.

Next steps: staff will compile the requested analysis, reconcile the disbursement report with the transparency page, and return proposed PECard guidelines and best practices to the council for consideration.