(A) The Council is hereby established as the purchasing agency for the town with all of the powers and duties now and hereafter authorized under I.C. 5-22 for a purchasing agency and as may be hereafter supplemented by ordinances, rules and/or policies adopted by the Council.
(B) The town’s Clerk/Treasurer is hereby designated as a Purchasing Agent of Council, and is hereby authorized to purchase supplies or services in any transaction where those supplies or services have an estimated cost of less than $500 on the open market without inviting or receiving proposals, quotes or bids.
(C) The Town Manager, Town Marshal, Town Superintendent and Fire Chief are each hereby authorized to purchase supplies or services in any transaction where those supplies or services have an estimated cost of less than $1,000 on the open market without inviting or receiving proposals, quotes or bids.
(D) The following purchasing rules for the town are hereby adopted in accordance with the requirements of state law:
(1) Supplies manufactured in the United States are specified and shall be purchased for all town purchases unless the Council determines that:
(a) The supplies are not manufactured in the United States in reasonably available quantities;
(b) The prices of the supplies manufactured in the United States exceeds by an unreasonable amount the price of available and comparable supplies manufactured elsewhere;
(c) The quality of the supplies manufactured in the United States is substantially less than the quality of comparably priced available supplies manufactured elsewhere; or
(d) The purchase of supplies manufactured on the United States is not in the public interest.
(2) Supplies available from the Department of Corrections as anticipated in I.C. 5-22-11 and/or the Rehabilitation Center as anticipated in I.C. 5-22-12 shall be purchased from those entities, except as permitted by then applicable law; and
(3) Additional purchasing rules and/or purchasing policies shall be adopted and may, therefore, be modified or supplemented, by the Council by resolution and/or ordinance as Council determines to be necessary or advisable from time to time.
(E) The Purchasing Agent may purchase services in whatever manner and on whatever terms and conditions that Purchasing Agent determines to be reasonable that are not inconsistent with applicable provisions of state law, ordinances of the town or rules, policies or directives from the Council.
(F) When specifically directed to do so by Council, the Clerk-Treasurer shall purchase supplies in any transaction where those supplies have an estimated cost of $500 or more, but less than $25,000, by inviting or receiving proposals, quotes or bids in accordance with state law requirements for purchases from $50,000 to $150,000 as presently provided by I.C. 5-22-8-3, unless Council, having determined that a sufficient need exists and it is not in violation of any applicable legal requirement to do so, expressly directs the purchase be made on the open market without inviting or receiving proposals, quotes or bids.
(Prior Code, § 33.15) (Ord. 1998-3, passed 7-7-1998)