Changes may be ahead for businesses providing services to the City of Kenai. City administration is working to simplify their purchases and sales codes.
Councilors Henry Knackstedt and Bob Molloy brought forward an ordinance which introduces a new set of codes versus trying to improve the existing policies.
Kenai Mayor Pat Porter was at the Monday night city council work session to discuss that ordinance.
Mayor Porter: “A lot of the things would probably remain the same but there might be some changes.”
One suggestion discussed is raising the purchase limit from $15,000 to $40,000 before council approval is required but the members could not reach a consensus.
Mayor Porter: “Any kind of services, whether it’s janitorial services or purchasing a vehicle or purchasing parts depending on the price that’s involved, whether it will go out to bid or that it might not necessarily be in the best interest of the city time-wise sometimes. If you’ve got a piece of equipment that’s broken down, sometimes you have to get a piece that might be in that dollar range and you don’t want it necessarily out of service for the amount of time that it would take to go to bid.”
The council is working to more clearly define the difference between professional services and administrative services to simplify the process.
Porter said another work session will be scheduled but for now the council’s suggestions and the ordinance is being reviewed by the city attorney.
