A. The City Manager shall be the contracting officer of the City and shall award and execute all contracts on behalf of the City. When bidding is required by this Charter, the City Manager shall award the contract to the lowest and/or best bidder; provided that the City Manager may reject all bids and readvertise and rebid the project or work where he believes such action is appropriate and in the best interest of the City.
B. When an expenditure or contract is more than the amount specified by the laws of Ohio for which work may be accomplished only after advertisement and bidding, such contract or expenditure shall first be authorized or directed by an ordinance or resolution passed by the Council and shall be advertised once a week for at least two (2) weeks in a newspaper of general circulation, provided the Council, by an ordinance or resolution adapted by a vote of at least five (5) members, may authorize, without advertising and competitive bidding, contracts and expenditures for any purpose where the law of Ohio does not require competitive bidding.
C. When it becomes necessary to make alterations or modifications in connection with any work or improvements covered by contract, they shall be made only upon the order of the City Manager. No such order shall be effective until the price to be paid for the work or material, or both, under the altered or modified contract, shall have been agreed upon in writing and signed by the contractor and the City Manager on behalf of the City. Modifications or alterations in contracts shall not require advertising and competitive bidding.
D. No contract, agreement or other contractual obligation involving the expenditure of money shall be entered into or authorized by the City Manager unless the Director of Finance or his or her authorized representative shall certify:
1. That the money required for such contract, agreement, obligation or expenditure is in the City's treasury or in the process of collection thereto and
2. That the money has been appropriated by Council for the specified purpose, and it remains unencumbered.
Said certification as to the availability of funds and the appropriation of funds shall be governed by the General Laws of Ohio to the extent not provided for in this Charter. The certificate 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 recognized by Council as a moral obligation.
E. The City Manager shall not divide any order or contract to avoid the requirements of competitive bidding.
(Amended 11-3-87; 11-4-14)
(Amended 11-3-87; 11-4-14)