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Alderman urges fuller review of Freeport purchasing policy changes
Summary
Alderman Cecilia Stacy asked the Committee of the Whole to hold more discussion of ordinance 2026-34, saying proposed purchasing-policy changes dilute council oversight after the city's 2025 audit found expenditures exceeding approved budgets; other aldermen and residents likewise requested more transparency before expanding administrative spending authority.
Alderman Cecilia Stacy asked the Committee of the Whole on the record to place ordinance 2026-34 — changes to the city purchasing policy — for extended public discussion, saying the measure "deserves more than just a routine vote." Stacy told colleagues the ordinance ‘‘made substantial changes to the city purchasing process and to council's oversight of taxpayer dollars’’ and cited the city's 2025 audit, which she said found expenditures that exceeded the council-approved budget.
Stacy said residents had raised "serious concerns" about expanding administrative purchasing authority before the audit issues were addressed and asked the council to examine the ordinance's fiscal implications and oversight provisions in detail. "Whatever position each of us ultimately takes, I believe we owe this ordinance the time, discussion, and careful consideration it warrants," she said.
Alderman Aldwin Sanders backed Stacy's call for a standalone meeting to review the finance proposal and questioned how the council had arrived at the current draft. Sanders told colleagues the public "doesn't see counsel" doing diagnostic work and that the council should present fuller detail before approving greater discretion for administrators.
City manager Rob Boyer did not propose immediate changes during the discussion; council did not vote on ordinance 2026-34 at this meeting. The body did vote earlier in the evening to amend the agenda so item 8 would be restated as a purchasing-policy discussion and approved that amendment 6to0.
The issue prompted public comments urging transparency: one resident told the council to "trust and verify" and asked that the city present multiple options rather than accept staff assurances that a single approach is cheapest.
The council did not take final action on ordinance 2026-34 at this meeting. Alderman Stacy said she expects further public discussion and that the council owes constituents a thorough review of any policy that affects how public funds are spent.
