Charlestown council approves revised invoice/payment policy to expand P‑card use, with transparency safeguards

Charlestown’s City Council on April 7 approved an amendment to the municipal finance policy that documents invoice-processing procedures and expands use of the procurement card (P‑card) for essential services such as utilities, insurance and maintenance.

Why it matters: Finance staff said the change is intended to make bill paying more efficient and reduce late fees by allowing staff to pay certain routine bills prior to the next council meeting. Finance Director Laurie explained, “Pretty much, it allows us to go ahead and pay the bills before the meeting without having to approve them every time.” The amendment also adds a procedural control: if a department has expended 75% of a budget line, the finance director must review and approve further invoices against that line.

Council members repeatedly pressed for transparency. Multiple members said the council must continue to see department- and vendor-level detail; Laurie and staff said the P‑card report can be run by department and that a detailed P‑card council report listing every transaction will be included with the disbursement packet. Members requested the detailed P‑card statement be delivered in the packet before meetings to avoid reviewing long reports during the meeting.

The council approved the policy change by motion. Staff said the changes comply with state law and will be implemented alongside improved internal reporting so department heads can monitor their balances and finance can run department-level P‑card reports on request.