DRUMRIGHT — The Drumright City Commissioners approved an ordinance during its most recent meeting that increased the city manager’s authority to make purchases. The increase applies to both routine and emergency situations.
Ordinance 354 amended Drumright Municipal Code Section 1-6A-4, which outlines the city’s purchasing procedures. Under the new ordinance the city manager may now approve routine purchase up to $10,000 without prior commission approval. It also allows for an emergency purchasing limit up to $50,000 when immediate action is required.
According to City Manager Shawn Gibson, the decision stemmed from several factors including inflation, rising costs, and the need for quicker responses to unexpected problems.
“Thresholds that were set years ago no longer reflect current prices for equipment, vehicles, construction materials, or services,” he said.
He went on to say the allowance for routine purchases is expected to reduce the number of operational items for the commission to approve — improving efficiency and allowing elected officials to focus on larger policy decisions, strategic planning, and budget matters.
Gibson said the inclusion of the ordinance on the agenda was partially prompted by recent lightning strikes that impacted the city’s water treatment plant which highlighted the need for city staff to be able to act quickly during emergencies.
“In an emergency situation, decisions sometimes must be made immediately,” he said.
He emphasized that each commissioner served as a volunteer in their elected positions and all have full-time jobs that demand their time making it difficult to attend abrupt meetings to approve emergency purchases.
Emergency purchases are generally reserved for circumstance requiring immediate attention to protect public health, public safety, or essential city services. By increasingtheemergencyspendingthreshold, Gibson said, it allows him to respond more quickly to infrastructure failures, equipment breakdowns, maintenance issues, and other operational challenges without waiting for the next monthly meeting.
Gibson said increased purchasing authority will help ensure critical services continue without unnecessary delays while maintaining accountability under the city’s purchasing policies.