Tamarac panel ratifies $513,000 in Amazon purchases, approves $214,012 for remainder of fiscal year

The Tamarac City Commission on May 27 voted 4–1 to ratify $513,006.30 in past citywide purchases from Amazon Services LLC and to authorize an additional $214,012 for the remainder of the 2026 fiscal year, while also approving an expenditure authority roughly capped at $513,600 for upcoming years to allow procurement under an Omni cooperative agreement.

Interim Director of Financial Services Priscilla Moxie told the commission the request has three parts: ratification of past expenditures, approval of the additional funds needed through Sept. 30, 2026, and authorization to piggyback a new cooperative agreement for future fiscal years. “This is a 3‑part resolution,” Moxie said, explaining the $513,006.30 covered purchases from May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026 and the $214,012 was calculated from spending trends for the remainder of the fiscal year.

The discussion centered on why the city had exceeded its prior single‑vendor threshold and whether the future authority should be pre‑approved before budget adoption. Vice Mayor Marlon D. Bolton said he would not automatically approve expenditures linked to previous administration actions, asking for tighter controls; he told colleagues he would “refuse to approve” items tied to those past decisions unless clarified. Mayor Michelle J. Gomez pressed staff to “clean up the numbers in the resolution,” noting inconsistencies in how figures were presented in the backup materials.

Supporters said the request did not add new money to the city budget but rather consolidated vendor spend across departments in order to secure faster delivery and better pricing for frequently used supplies. Commissioner Wright noted small purchases have been impeded by procurement processes and argued that broad vendor authority would let departments secure urgently needed items without delay.

The commission agreed to bifurcate the request: it ratified past expenditures and approved the requested additional $214,012 to allow continued purchases through the end of the fiscal year, while postponing only a narrower set of future‑year administrative details for later clarification. The roll call was: Wright, Patterson, Daniel and Mayor Gomez — yes; Vice Mayor Bolton — no. The motion passed 4–1.

City staff said the vendor provides installation and shipping advantages and that procurement policy still requires approvals for single‑vendor spend over the city’s threshold. Priscilla Moxie offered to provide the line‑by‑line spreadsheet (the agenda backup included a multi‑tab Excel listing) and staff agreed to return with clearer itemization and a formal procedure for when departments may use expedited vendor channels.

Next steps: staff will submit a cleaned and clarified resolution sheet and the detailed purchase list requested by the commission; any spending above the city’s procurement thresholds will be returned for authorization.

Sources: Interim Director Priscilla Moxie; City Manager; commission discussion and roll call vote.