The council this week voted unanimously to receive and file the quarterly report of contracts approved by the city manager or department heads. The quarterly reports were first issued under former City Manager Jill Ingram and are continuing under Interim City Manager Patrick Gallegos. He confirmed the practice would continue in a Nov. 5 email.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Consent items are voted on collectively unless a council member pulls one for further discussion. Nothing was pulled from this week’s Consent Calendar.
“In an effort to further increase transparency, the City Manager provides a quarterly report to the City Council that identifies all contracts executed by the City Manager. The City Manager has the authority to approve and execute contracts up to the amount of $40,840,” according to the staff report prepared by Deputy City Clerk Brandon DeCriscio.
“Seal Beach Municipal Code Section 3.20.005 authorizes the City Manager to delegate spending authority to Department Heads,” DeCriscio wrote.
“For departments other than the Director of Public Works and the Director of Finance/City Treasurer, this authority shall not exceed $15,000 per purchase or contract,” DeCriscio wrote.
“For the Director of Public Works, the limit is established per the City’s Charter Section 1010,” DeCriscio wrote.
The council set the Public Works director’s limit at $40,840 in July of this year. (See “Seal Beach City Council approves increase to Public Works contract threshold” at sunnews.org.)
“For the Director of Finance/City Treasurer, other than for Finance Department expenditures which are set at $15,000, there is additional authority to authorize purchases for City Departments up to the City Manager’s established contract signing authority,” DeCriscio wrote.
The following contracts were approved between July 1 and Sept. 30. Note: The staff report did not identify department heads by name.
• On April 16 then-City Manager Jill Ingram approved a contract with Municipal Resource Group, LLC, for $17,500 for the evaluation of the city manager. The contract expired on Sept. 39.
• On June 1, Ingram approved a contract with Chris Failla (See the Human, LLC) for $15,000 to conduct an off-site workshop. The contract expired on June 7.
• On June 12 Public Works Director Iris Lee approved a contract with Tesco Controls, LLC, for $12,000 for pump control maintenance and repair services. The contract is set to expire July 1, 2025.
• On Aug. 26 Lee approved a contract with Scott Smith for $26,000 for professional maintenance and project management services. The contract is set to expire Dec. 31, 2024.
• On Sept. 3 Lee approved a contract with Silsby Strategic Advisors, Inc., for $25,000 for strategic support services. The contract is set to expire June 30, 2025.
