Council narrows proposed purchasing‑card threshold, citing oversight concerns; amendment passes unanimously

Seabrook City Council voted March 3 to amend the proposed purchasing‑policy update (Resolution 2026‑04) by lowering a credit‑card no‑purchase‑order threshold to $1,500 and then approved the policy as amended.

Staff presented the update as an effort to align thresholds with other municipalities and reduce low‑value procurement friction; one section (Section 11) proposed a $2,999 threshold for purchases not requiring a purchase order. Councilmember Angel and others raised concerns that the higher threshold could increase the risk of credit‑card fraud and make reconciliation more difficult. "Credit card is a very easy way for abuse and fraud in a system," one councilmember said, citing examples from other Texas cities.

Councilmember Cervantes moved to amend the draft to replace $2,999 with $1,500; the motion was seconded and debated. Staff noted that department credit cards are already capped (Gail said many directors are capped at $1,500) and that the amendment would better match departmental controls. After discussion about the tradeoffs between front‑end purchase orders and back‑end reconciliation, council voted unanimously to adopt the amendment and to adopt the purchasing policy as amended. The city manager and finance staff will implement changes to thresholds and internal procedures and report back as required.

Council also discussed internal practices (preferred vendors, requisitions, and exceptions for emergency purchases) and noted that reconciling receipts remains a challenge when staff fail to return statements. Several members referenced high‑profile municipal credit‑card fraud cases elsewhere to underscore the need for oversight.