Next week, the Parkville Board of Aldermen will get its first look at the candidates for the city administrator’s position, which has been vacant since former City Administrator Shannon Thompson’s firing last October. More than 30 applicants have submitted resumes to the Art Davis Group, which was hired by the Board to conduct a search to fill the position. The Davis Group, which is being paid a $10,000 fee with a $2,200 allowance for expenses, said the list will be narrowed before presentation to the Board next week.
Alderman Nan McManus reported Davis had said the group of candidates was among the strongest he had recently seen.
At its regular Board meeting last week, the City of Parkville put into place a couple of housekeeping matters discussed at a recent special session of the Board of Aldermen.
The Board unanimously approved a new purchasing policy, which is intended to help streamline City operations. The policy change authorizes the finance committee to approve reoccurring purchases and service contracts of up to $10,000 annually. Department heads may approve purchases of up to $1,000; the city administrator may approve purchases up to $2,500; the finance committee may approve purchases of up to $10,000; and the Board of Alderman still shall approve purchases of more than $10,000.
The new purchasing policy also includes a provision for emergency spending, stating the mayor or city administrator may authorize purchases of up to $5,000 from any fund, including the emergency fund. Emergency purchases from the sewer fund of up to $10,000 may be similarly approved. The Board of Aldermen will be notified of this action as a courtesy, but not as an approval step.
In a last-minute amendment to the policy, the Board determined that any purchase — be it $500 or $1,500 — could be brought to the full Board for review if the department heads or city administrator felt the topic needed further discussion. Additionally, purchases approved by the finance committee will require a unanimous vote, or the purchase must come before the full Board. The finance committee is made up of four members of the Board and the mayor.