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Wabash City Council tables first reading of ordinance to expand city credit-card authorizations
Summary
The council tabled the first reading of an ordinance that would authorize credit cards for additional city officials and department heads after discussion about controls, receipts, authorization and whether store cards should be included. Members asked for a revised written draft before the second reading.
Wabash City Council voted to table the first reading of General Ordinance No. 15-2025 after members said they wanted the proposed changes presented in a clear written form before proceeding.
The ordinance would amend the city code to authorize credit-card use by the fire and police chiefs and would also revise other procedural items in the code, including the listed meeting time for the Board of Aviation Commissioners. The draft as presented included language to add chief officers and, at the request of council members, proposed expanding authorization to department heads and the mayor's executive assistant.
The city attorney told the council the code already contains usage controls and logs, and that the primary concern is ensuring the clerk's office can verify purchases and that receipts match charges. He said the draft could be cleaned up and combined with the requested changes for the second reading. "It might be a little cleaner and easier to table it and have me just present a new" ordinance, he said, explaining that staff would prepare a consolidated text for review.
Council members also discussed practical controls: maintaining a log of who has physical custody of a card, requiring matching receipts, and routing claims through the Board of Works for an additional review. Questions arose about whether store-specific cards (for example, store charge accounts) should be treated the same as bank-issued cards such as Visa or MasterCard.
After those exchanges, a council member moved to table the ordinance until the changes discussed were drafted in writing; the motion passed on roll call.
Next steps: the city attorney will prepare an amended ordinance reflecting the council's direction for consideration at a future meeting.
