(A) The need to purchase supplies, materials, or equipment, or contract for services on short notice shall not constitute an emergency, since every city employee will be expected to carry out their duties with all dispatch appropriate to the situation. The need to issue a purchase order or contract outside the normal business hours would presume that the suppliers would normally also be closed for business. In every such case, the City Manager shall approve a requisition and shall make a reasonable attempt to call in the Purchasing Supervisor to issue a purchase order. In the absence of the Purchasing Supervisor, the City Manager may authorize the purchase as an “emergency.” Any emergency purchases over $50,000 required for operational situations will be reported to Council in a timely fashion. Whenever the City Manager anticipates not being available for emergencies, he or she shall name a department director to act in his or her absence.
(B) If any employee acquires any supplies, materials, or equipment or contracts for services outside the procedures outlined herein, the City Auditor shall not issue the city's warrant for payment, and the employee may be subject to disciplinary action which could include employee paying for the item ordered. A typical example of this occurrence would be an employee ordering a office supply (non emergency) and receiving the invoice prior to entering a requisition or even turning the invoice into the Finance Department for payment without a purchase order having been issued.
(Ord. 9626, passed 11-27-07; Am. Ord. 2013-040, passed 4-9-13)