As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them:
CONTRACTUAL SERVICES
Personal services, all telephone, gas, water, electric light and power services, towel and cleaning services, leases for all grounds, buildings, offices or other space required by the using agency and the rental, repair or maintenance of equipment, machinery and other City-owned personal property. The term shall not include insurance, professional and other contractual services which are in their nature often unique and not subject to normal competitive bidding.
COOPERATING AGENCY
Any department, agency, commission, bureau or other unit in the City Government not under the direction and control of the Board of Alderpersons or in any other governmental unit whether school district, special authority, other municipality, County or otherwise which cooperates with the City through its Director of Purchasing in purchasing any items covered by this Chapter.
SUPPLIES
All supplies, materials, equipment, commodities and capital outlays.
USING AGENCY
Any department, agency, commission, bureau or other unit in the City Government using supplies or procuring contractual services as provided for in this Chapter and which shall be under the direction and control of the Board of Alderpersons.
Any purchase order or contract within the purview of this Chapter in which any officer or employee of the City is financially interested, directly or indirectly, shall be void unless the Board of Alderpersons waives compliance with this Section before the execution of a purchase order or contract. The Board of Alderpersons shall waive this Section only when the best interests of the City require such action and the laws of the State do not prohibit the transaction. The City Administrator shall immediately report to the Board any information that he/she has or that comes to his/her attention that would indicate any such interest either before or after a purchase has been made.
The Director of Purchasing and each officer and employee of the City is expressly prohibited from accepting, directly or indirectly, from any person to which any purchase order or contract is or might be awarded any rebate, gift, money or anything of value whatsoever, except where given for the use and benefit of the City.
A. 
All using agencies, either by or with the authorization of the head of the agency, shall to the extent practicable file with the Board of Alderpersons detailed requisitions or estimates of their requirements of supplies and contractual services in such manner, at such times and for such future periods as the Board shall prescribe.
1. 
Unforeseen requirements. A using agency shall not be prevented from filing in the same manner with the Director of Purchasing at any time a requisition or estimate for any supplies and contractual services it needs that were not foreseen when the detailed estimates were filed subject to budgetary limitations.
2. 
Revision powers. The City Administrator may examine each requisition or estimate and may suggest revisions as to quality, quantity or estimated cost.
A. 
In the event of an apparent emergency which requires immediate purchase of supplies or contractual services, the City Administrator is empowered to secure by an open market procedure as provided in this Section, at the lowest obtainable price, any supplies or contractual service regardless of the amount of the expenditure. A full report of the circumstances of an emergency purchase shall be filed by the City Administrator with the Board of Alderpersons and shall be entered into the official records of the Board and shall be open to public inspection.
B. 
In the event of an actual emergency and with the consent of the Mayor, the head of any using agency may purchase directly any supplies the immediate procurement of which is essential to prevent delays in the work of the using agency that may affect the life, health or convenience of citizens. The head of the using agency shall send to the City Administrator a requisition and a copy of the delivery record together with a full written report of the circumstances of the emergency. The report shall be filed with the Board and be made a part of the permanent records of the Board and be open to public inspection.
[Ord. No. 772-12 §2, 2-1-2012]
A. 
This Section provides guidelines for approving City warrants:
1. 
Definition. When used by governmental entities, the term "warrant" means a warrant of payment which is a check or an IOU issued by a government agency or municipality to satisfy a financial obligation.
2. 
Responsibility. The Board of Alderpersons is responsible for paying for the City's indebtedness in a reasonable and timely manner. The City Treasurer prepares the warrants and the Board of Alderpersons has responsibility for releasing the funds. The Board of Alderpersons must be diligent and prudent with the public money and, as such, their action of approval (or disapproval) of warrants needs to be recorded as a tallied vote.
3. 
Budget. The Board of Alderpersons must review and approve monthly expenditures to ensure the warrants are within the spending guidelines as dictated by the approved budget.
4. 
Checks and balances. By voting to approve or disapprove the warrants, the Board of Alderpersons along with the City Treasurer offer the check and balance for controlling taxpayer monies going out of the City coffers.
5. 
Board of Alderpersons approval. As a general rule, no warrants are to be paid without Board of Alderpersons approval.
6. 
Exception to Board of Alderpersons approval. Because the budget was passed by ordinance, the following types of warrants may be paid without Board of Alderpersons approval whenever a regular scheduled meeting cannot be convened due to lack of a quorum or a meeting is canceled due to inclement weather or some other such reason.
a. 
Payment of employee payroll.
b. 
Payment of utility bills.
c. 
Payment of recurring contract obligations for expenditures as stated in the approved budget of the City.
d. 
Payment for necessary consumables such as postage, office supplies, etc. (not to exceed nine hundred dollars ($900.00)).
This exception allows the City Treasurer to release warrants (checks) that are absolutely necessary without having to ask for a special meeting.
A. 
The requirement of competitive bids or proposals for supplies may be waived when the City Administrator has determined in writing that there is only a single feasible source for the supplies. Immediately upon discovering that other feasible sources exist, the City Administrator shall rescind the waiver and proceed to procure the supplies through the competitive processes as described in this Chapter. A single feasible source exists when:
1. 
Supplies are proprietary and only available from the manufacturer or a single distributor; or
2. 
Based on past procurement experience, it is determined that only one (1) distributor services the region in which the supplies are needed; or
3. 
Supplies are available at a discount from a single distributor for a limited period of time.
A. 
All purchases of contractual services and supplies made pursuant to this Chapter shall be on purchase order forms, and each purchase order shall reflect salient conditions of the purchases such as description, specification, unit purchase price, aggregate amounts, freight conditions and place of delivery.
B. 
A copy of all purchase orders shall be available to the receiving department which will receive the contractual services or supplies purchased, and the receiving department shall reject delivery of any contractual services or supplies which do not conform to the purchase order conditions and specifications.
C. 
All invoices for purchases made pursuant to this Chapter shall be approved as being in conformity with the purchase order. Said approval will be made in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Alderpersons.
A. 
The using agencies under the authority of the City Administrator shall be responsible for ensuring that all supplies and contractual services conform to the specifications set forth in the order or contract.
B. 
The City Administrator shall have the authority to require chemical tests of samples submitted with bids and samples of deliveries which are necessary to determine their conformance with the specifications. In the performance of such tests, the City Administrator shall have authority to make use of laboratory facilities of any agency of the City or any outside laboratory.
A. 
At least annually, all using agencies shall submit to the City Administrator, at such times and on such forms as prescribed, reports showing stocks of all supplies which are no longer used or which have become obsolete, worn out or scrapped.
B. 
The City Administrator shall have the authority to transfer surplus stock to other using agencies.
C. 
The City Administrator shall have the authority to sell all supplies which have become unsuitable for possible use, or exchange or trade the supplies for new supplies, in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Chapter.