Sycamore City Manager can now spend more without prior City Council approval

SYCAMORE – The next time Sycamore officials go to spend public dollars they’ll have to check to see how their purchase squares with a new spending policy set by the Sycamore City Council on Monday.

The spending policy dictates how much departments and city staff can spend before they are required to gain Sycamore City Council approval. City Manager Michael Hall said the policy change, which was approved in a 6-1 vote, will increase the amount of money he’s preauthorized to spend on the city’s behalf by $5,000.

“Currently it’s $25,000 and we’re recommending going up to $30,000,” Hall said. “[I] want to emphasize that everything has a check and balance. So any purchases that I make that are under the $30,000, you see them every single City Council meeting. Everything down to the paper clip that we buy.”

Purchases with a bill worth more than $30,000 will require approval from Sycamore City Council, according to city documents.

City department heads have comparatively less preauthorized purchasing power. But all purchases made by city staff, whether included in the budget or made as an emergency purchase outside the budget, must receive prior approval in accordance with the dollar limits outlined in the spending policy.

Department heads or their designees are allowed to make purchases worth up to $10,000 so long as officials believe they are picking the most economical option. Hall, or a designee can make purchases between $10,001 and $29,999, as long as they procured three written quotes for the purchase, according to city documents.

Any purchase worth $30,000 or more requires a formal bidding process before approval from Sycamore City Council can be obtained. Intergovernmental agreements, property rental, utilities, refuse, and telecommunications that do not require quotations or bidding are exempt from policy, according to city documents.

In an email to Hall, Sycamore Finance Director Kristian Dominguez said that updating the city’s spending policy was “essential for supporting daily operations, providing clear expectations for both the Council and staff, and ensuring transparency to residents regarding the city’s procurement processes.”

“Given the evolving economic landscape, the current policy needs updates to meet legal requirements, improve purchasing efficiency, and incorporate technological advancements,” Dominguez said.

Before the City Council approved the policy change, 4th Ward Alderperson Ben Bumpus asked how often city staff need to be able to expedite purchases. Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser said he isn’t sure how many times that request was made by Hall or other city officials in the last year, but said those situations do occur.

“I know in the past there’s been a lot of different $20-, $25-, $30,000 things,” Braser said. “A $26,000 pump used to cost what, $15,000?”

Still, Bumpus – who was the only alderperson to vote against the change – said he was “definitely struggling” to view the policy change as necessary.

“I don’t know if I’m convinced of the need to make this change,” Bumpus said. “I’m one of eight here, that’s just not of that same view that there’s enough demand to say we need to elevate that. I understand the inflation perspective but I’m not seeing that as, at least in two years here, a big item of our concern.”