The City’s purchasing policy, an administrative guideline for the procurement of goods and services, is currently being reviewed as part of a routine update to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with the City Manager’s approval authority. The City Manager’s approval authority limit was set by the City Council at $50,000 in 2008. Adjusted annually according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), it currently stands at $56,200. One area of focus for the updated policy, as well as in the staff training to follow, is the adherence to the City Manager’s approval authority limit in respect to recurring transactions with the same vendor.  In many cases, recurring transactions with the same vendor need to be considered cumulatively over the course of a fiscal year.  For example, in Fiscal Year 2013-14 staff returned to City Council to request additional approval authority for the City Manager related to legal services due to the fact that over the course of the fiscal year, the cumulative total of a vendor’s invoices would exceed the City Manager’s authority.  As we remain vigilant of these expenditures, it is likely that more instances where cumulative totals could approach the City Manager’s approval authority limit could necessitate City Council approval. This may cause slight delays in the purchasing process, but it is necessary to remain compliant with the City’s purchasing policy and City Council direction.