Ione council raises city manager's purchasing authority to $50,000

The Ione City Council on June 2 adopted Ordinance No. 536 to raise the city manager's purchasing authority for budgeted items and routine contracts to $50,000, city staff said.

Josh Verinsky, a city staff member who presented the item, told the council this was the second formal step after an initial introduction and that, if adopted, the ordinance would take effect 30 days after passage. "This is the same item as last time," Verinsky said, adding he recommended the council revisit the larger purchasing chapter in a future amendment or convert it to policy for easier changes.

Council discussion focused on the change's scope: the amendment applies only to budgeted expenditures and the city manager would still be limited to items the council has already approved in the budget. A public commenter, Larry Rose, urged prudence, citing a prior high-cost purchase for aerators and telling the council "we're watching" on taxpayers' dollars.

Mayor moved to adopt the ordinance; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote. Councilmembers said staff should return with any substantive contract revisions discovered during final drafting. The council did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; the motion passed by voice vote.

The change amends Chapter 2.4 of the municipal code (purchasing and bidding policy) to increase the manager's limit and to explicitly include the authority to execute the city's standard contract forms. Verinsky asked the council to consider a more thorough rewrite of the chapter during the next budget cycle to make future adjustments easier.