(a) The Mayor shall award contracts and authorize expenditures without competitive bidding if said contract or expenditure does not exceed the limit set by the Council, by ordinance to require competitive bidding.
(b) The purchase of supplies, materials, equipment and construction of public improvements for the City shall be made pursuant to specifications through open, competitive bidding, under such rules consistent with this Charter as the Council may establish by ordinance. Formal advertising, bidding, and public opening and tabulation of bids shall be required if the statutory or common law of the State requires it. The acquisition of professional services may be, but are not required to be obtained by competitive bidding. The Council, by ordinance or resolutions adopted by a vote of at least two-thirds of its members, may authorize, without competitive bidding, contracts and expenditures for any other purpose where the statutory or common law of Ohio does not require competitive bidding.
(Amended 11-7-17.)
(c) No contract, agreement or other contractual obligation involving the expenditure of money shall be entered into or authorized by the Mayor unless the City Auditor or a duly authorized representative of the Auditor shall first certify:
(1) That the money required for the contract, agreement, obligation or expenditure is in the City's treasury or in the process of collection, and
(2) That the money has been appropriated by Council for the purpose. and remains unencumbered.
The certification as to the availability of funds shall be filed and recorded in the accounting records of the City and a copy furnished the vendor or contractor. Without the certification, contractual obligations shall be void and unenforceable against the City unless authorized by an ordinance or resolution of the Council, as a moral obligation. The City Auditor shall not arbitrarily withhold the certificate required by this division.
(d) The Council or the Mayor shall not divide any order or contract to avoid the requirements of competitive bidding. Expenditures to pay the compensation and fringe benefits of officers and employees of the City shall be exempt from the provisions of this section; except the City Auditor shall not pay such compensation or fringe benefits unless the Council shall have appropriated sufficient money to cover such payments and the money required for payment is in the City's treasury or in the process of collection.
(e) Copies of all written contracts and purchase orders shall be filed with and maintained as public records by the City Auditor.