Board Policy:
DATE REVIEWED: 1/27/2025
DATE APPROVED: 1/27/2025
EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/27/2025
REPLACING POLICY EFFECTIVE: NEW
The Pickerington Public Library (PPL) will maximize the use of funds by employing prudent, time efficient, and professional acquisition and procurement practices to achieve the best possible value in meeting PPL’s needs for goods and services. PPL accepts, appreciates and encourages maximum competition through fair and equal opportunity to those qualified and interested bidders.
It shall be the policy of the Board of Trustees (the Board) that all purchases of PPL be approved by the Administration, except in situations (as described later in this policy) where Board approval is necessary before making the purchase. [For purchasing purposes, the “Administration” shall mean the Library Director or his/her designee, and the Fiscal Officer or his/her designee.]
A. The nature and content of the purchase shall be the responsibility of the Fiscal Officer and Library Director. The Fiscal Officer’s responsibility will be to certify the availability of funds within the Board established appropriation and to develop purchasing procedures.
B. Required signature approval is contingent upon type of contract as outlined below:
1. Purchase Orders: Library Director or his/her designee
2. Service Agreements and Contracts: Library Director or Fiscal Officer
3. Contracts for Sale/Purchase of Real Estate: Board of Trustee President’s and Secretary’s signatures are required by law.
C. The Fiscal Officer is authorized to obtain credit cards and/or purchase cards to be used for payment of any authorized PPL expenses. Credit cards and/or purchase cards will be issued upon request for the Library Director and any other employee authorized according to the library’s credit card policy.
D. The Board of Trustees will approve:
1. Salaries and benefits for Library Director and Fiscal Officer
2. All changes to the Salary Schedule and to staff benefit plans
3. Reimbursement of conference travel and meeting expenses for the Library Director and Fiscal Officer
4. Individual travel allowances for the Library Director and Fiscal Officer
5. Purchase of Land, Buildings, Easements and other interests in real estate.
6. Purchase of all motor vehicles
7. Payment of all judgments and findings against PPL
8. Transfer of money from one fund to another fund.
9. Purchase of a State License to serve alcohol
E. The following items require Board approval when a single purchase from a single vendor exceeds $50,000:
1. Technology Hardware and Equipment
2. Technology Hardware Maintenance Agreements
3. Software and Software Licenses
4. Technology Services (i.e., hosted solutions, outsourced maintenance, etc.)
5. PPL Materials, including Database Subscriptions
6. Building and Equipment Maintenance
7. Custodial Services
8. Utilities (unless sole source)
9. Temporary Staffing Services or Staff Augmentation
10. Insurance Policies
11. General Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E)
12. Building Lease/Rental Agreements
13. Professional Services and Consultants including, but not limited to, Architects, Engineers, Accountants, Auditors, Debt Financing, Marketing Consultants, Technology Consultants, Management Consultants, Speakers, Attorneys and Surveyors
14. Capital Leases/Lease-Purchase Agreements
F. The following items require Board approval when a single purchase from a single vendor exceeds $15,000:
1. Organizational Memberships
2. Contracts or Memberships in Cooperative-Type Projects
G. The following items require Board approval when a single purchase from a single vendor exceeds $3,500:
1. Event Refreshments
H. When purchasing multiple goods/services from the same vendor in the same transaction, the approval thresholds apply to each individual good/service. For example, when purchasing technology equipment and installation services together, the approval threshold would be applied to the equipment and services separately.
I. Refreshments:
1. Approved events are: Board Meetings, Board member retirement dinners or parties, Board retreats, dedications and groundbreakings for new buildings and/ or remodeling, meetings with other PPL or business related organizations, public meetings and programs, staff in-service workshops and recognition events, volunteer dinners or parties, PPL fund raising events.
2. Refreshments are not to be provided for routine staff meetings unless approved by the Library Director. All food expenditures must be business related or for promoting PPL.
II. It shall be fully understood that the Administration shall have the authority to make all necessary purchases for PPL, without first obtaining Board approval, if the money has been appropriated and the purchase is authorized within this policy.
III. If it is found that this policy is in conflict with any federal, state or local law, the law shall take precedence.
IV. This policy is meant to be general in nature and, in situations where purchases or expenditures are covered by more specific Board policy, the more detailed and specific policy shall take precedence.
Disclaimer of Responsibility for Improper Purchasing
The Board may disclaim responsibility and liability for any expenditure, Library Credit Card purchase or contractual agreement in its name by an unauthorized person or any person acting outside this Policy. The expense of any such disclamation will become the personal liability of the individual who acted improperly.
