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Committee reviews purchasing card policy and considers raising purchase thresholds for department chiefs
Summary
Staff proposed updates to the town’s purchasing policy including raising procurement-card thresholds and tightening merchant-card issuance; members suggested tailoring limits by department, consulting Association of Towns model policies, and keeping emergency flexibility for field operations.
Committee members reviewed proposed updates to the town’s purchasing policy that would change cardholder names and consider raising per-purchase and monthly thresholds for certain roles (current amounts cited as $1,000 per purchase and $1,500 per month for some positions). Staff said the current thresholds can block routine purchases — for example, one card can be used up by a single laptop purchase — and recommended a careful review that balances control with operational needs.
Members discussed central purchasing as a possible long-term solution, the pros and cons of using merchant-specific cards (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Chase) and the town’s sales-tax exemption restrictions (sales tax exemption applies only within New York state for municipal purchases). The committee asked staff to research model policies from the Association of Towns and to propose changes that could be tailored by department so that emergency field purchases — for instance, materials needed to respond to a water-main break — are not impeded.
Next steps: staff will draft specific threshold changes and circulate proposed language to the committee for review. If members agree, a revised purchasing policy will be placed on a future agenda for adoption.
