Council adopts amendment allowing city manager to authorize emergency expenditures up to $100,000

Moraine City Council adopted a second-reading ordinance on Sept. 11 amending the city codified ordinance on competitive bidding to permit the city manager to authorize emergency expenditures up to $100,000.

The legislation — described in the meeting record as an amendment to codified ordinance section 159.01, entitled “competitive bidding” — was presented as a measure to allow the city manager to approve emergency purchases or contracts up to the stated dollar threshold without completing the usual bidding process. The item was taken on second reading and council approved the motion to adopt; the record shows affirmative roll-call votes from the members present.

No specific examples of imminent emergency purchases were presented at the meeting, and no amendments were offered in council discussion. The council’s action changes the city’s administrative authority on emergency procurements; the ordinance text and the codified section number were entered into the meeting record during the second-reading sequence.

City staff did not at the meeting provide additional implementing guidance or a procedure for documenting emergency expenditures under the new threshold; any departmental rules or administrative procedures to implement the change would be prepared and published separately.