Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brownwood Council re-adopts investment policy, approves cash-rounding, purchasing policy and InvoiceCloud switch
Summary
The council unanimously re-adopted the city investment policy, approved a cash-rounding accommodation because of coin shortages, formally adopted the Purchasing Policy to meet grant requirements, and approved a service agreement to switch electronic bill pay systems to InvoiceCloud.
The Brownwood City Council on Jan. 13 re-adopted the City’s Investment Policy, adopted a cash payment rounding policy to address coin shortages, approved a formal Purchasing Policy required for some grant applications, and authorized a Service Agreement with InvoiceCloud to replace the city’s recently implemented Nuvei electronic payment platform.
Finance Director Melanie Larose told the council the Public Funds Investment Act requires an annual review and re-adoption of the Investment Policy; staff recommended no substantive changes to the policy as previously amended Jan. 10, 2023. The council adopted the resolution re-adopting the Investment Policy unanimously (Resolution R-26-01).
Larose said the city has experienced periods of limited coin availability, including penny shortages, which complicate in-person cash transactions for one-time fees such as permits and landfill charges. The approved resolution establishes a uniform process that keeps all fees calculated to the cent but permits federal cash-rounding to the nearest nickel for one-time cash transactions when exact change is not available. Ongoing account billing remains exact and small rounding differences for recurring accounts may be applied as credits or account balances. Council adopted the cash-rounding resolution unanimously (Resolution R-26-02).
Larose also presented a Purchasing Policy that formalizes existing practice and revises threshold amounts to align with recent Texas legislative changes and federal grant procurement rules; the policy adds disciplinary provisions tied to the City’s Code of Ethics. Council approved the Purchasing Policy resolution unanimously (Resolution R-26-03).
On electronic payments, Larose said the city’s recently implemented Nuvei platform has not met operational needs and has produced citizen complaints and reconciliation issues. She recommended transitioning to InvoiceCloud, which staff said is widely used by local governments. Larose said there will be no cost to transition but noted Nuvei had already been paid for the current year and the city will not receive a refund; it is unknown whether customer email addresses and passwords will be transferable. The transition is expected to take about 120 days; ongoing costs were described as $20 per payment reader per month, totaling $240 monthly for the city. Council authorized the InvoiceCloud service agreement unanimously.
Other routine business included approval of claims and accounts dated Jan. 7, 2026, and approval of meeting minutes from Dec. 9 and Dec. 11, both carried unanimously. In executive session council consulted with counsel on a pre-suit demand by Joe Cooksey and returned to open session with no action taken.
