(A) The City Manager shall be the contracting officer for the City. He shall award and sign all contracts on behalf of the City. All contracts shall be in written form.
(B) The City Manager may designate any other administrative officer or employee of the City as purchasing agent, and authorize such purchasing agent to make all contracts on behalf of the City, where advertising and bidding are not required. The City Manager may adopt such rules and regulations as he deems necessary concerning the purchasing and contracting policies and procedures of the City.
(C) (EDITOR'S NOTE: This division (C) was repealed by the electorate November, 2002)
(D) When it becomes necessary in the prosecution of any work, or improvement under contract, to make alterations or modifications, such changes shall be made only upon the order of the City Manager. Should change orders on the contract exceed ten percent (10%) of the base bid, they must be approved by Council. 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.
(E) The City Manager or any other person designated by him as purchasing agent shall not willfully cause or allow any contract or order to be split or divided into separate orders or contracts in order to avoid the requirements of competitive bidding as provided by this Charter.
(F) Purchasing procedures shall be established consisted with this Charter, by the Council by ordinance, the purchase of all supplies, materials and equipment for the Municipality. Contract amounts subject to the requirement of competitive bidding procedures shall be established by Council by ordinance.
When an expenditure or contract exceeds the amount specified by the Charter and ordinance of the City of Trenton for which work may be accomplished only after advertisement and bidding, such contract or expenditure shall first be authorized and directed by ordinance or resolution passed by the Council, and when so authorized and directed, the City Manager shall make a written contract with the lowest and best bidder after advertisement once a week for at least two weeks in a newspaper of circulation within the City. In those instances and circumstances when contracts and expenditures may be made without advertisement and bidding under the Charter and ordinances of the City of Trenton, no advertising and bidding shall be required under this Charter, and the ordinances and Charter of the City of Trenton, Ohio, shall be followed.
(Amended 11-3-92; 11-5-2002)