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The City Council on Jan. 27, 2025, unanimously agreed to receive and file the quarterly report of contracts approved by the city manager or department heads.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Consent items are voted on collectively, without discussion, unless a council member pulls one or more items for further discussion. This item was not pulled.
Background
“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,” according to the staff report prepared by Deputy City Clerk Brandon DeCriscio.
The city council unanimously authorized the city manager to approve contracts in a resolution approved on June 24, 2013, according to council resolution 6384 of that year. At the time, the resolution allowed the city manager to approve contracts up to $25,850. (That figure has changed since that time, as you’ll see below.) Resolution 6384 cited 420 of the City Charter for the authority to give the city manager authority to approve some contracts.
The practice of issuing the quarterly contract report first began under the previous city manager, Jill Ingram.
The first quarterly report of contracts approved by the Seal Beach city manager was issued on Oct. 12, 2015.
The City Council unanimously authorized the city manager to delegate contracting authority to the department heads on June 24, 2019, according to resolution 6929. Technically, the resolution gives department heads “spending authority” in section five, on page 3 of the pdf.
(You can find council resolutions online at the city website.)
Interim City Manager Patrick Gallegos has continued providing the quarterly report.
“The City Manager has the authority to approve and execute contracts up to the amount of $40,840,” DeCriscio wrote in the Jan. 27, 2025 staff report.
“Seal Beach Municipal Code Section 3.20.005 authorizes the City Manager to delegate spending authority to Department Heads,” DeCriscio wrote.
“There is sufficient funding available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget. However, as with all City Council approved contracts, all contracts executed under staff’s contracting authority are processed internally with review and approval by the City Attorney, Director of Finance, City Manager, and City Clerk,” 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. For the Director of Public Works, the limit is established per the City’s Charter Section 1010. 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 from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024.
• Agreement date: Oct. 1, 2024—approved by interim city manager—with vendor Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc.—for $20,000—for compensation study services—to expire June 30, 2025.
• Agreement date: Oct. 2, 2024—approved by Public Works Department director—with vendor JCL Traffic Services—for $24,530—for Special Events Traffic Management Services—to expire Oct. 02, 2025.
• Agreement date: Nov. 18, 2024— approved by Public Works Department director—with vendor Engineering Solutions Services, Inc.—for $40,000—for grant writing and management services—Nov. 18, 2025.
• Agreement date: Nov. 20, 2024—approved by interim city manager—with vendor NeoGov—for $12,070.47— for recruitment software as a service—to expire June 30, 2025.
• Agreement date: Nov. 25, 2024—approved by Police Department chief—with vendor Donnoe & Associates, Inc.—for $12,500.00 police corporal and sergeant exam services—to expire Aug. 01, 2025.
