Council continues debate on expenditure policy; staff to return with clearer definitions and caps

Director Campbell told the council the expenditure policy review incorporated reimbursements data and comparisons with Alpharetta, Duluth, Calhoun and Norcross and asked for further feedback.

"You requested additional information, falling into 3 categories," Campbell said, summarizing reimbursements for FY22/23/24, the policy's alignment with best practices, and comparative policies from peer cities. He asked council for suggested revisions.

Council members voiced differing views. Some urged removing broad categories such as professional memberships that can be interpreted expansively; others favored clearer definitions and a small per-member continuing-education cap so elected officials could access needed training without an unlimited budget. Several members suggested implementing a per-council cap (an example cited was $5,000 divided by the number of members) or a modest continuing-education cap (examples ranged from $250 to $700 yearly in the discussion). The use of procurement cards (p-cards) for elected officials prompted debate: staff described existing internal controls and said p-cards are traditionally a staff tool; one council member said the mayor has historically had a p-card but council does not as a rule.

There was no final policy vote. Staff recommended returning to the next work session with a short memo listing specific options (e.g., retain/remove professional membership category, set continuing-education cap, limits or rules for p-card issuance) and a simple yes/no polling format for council adoption.