Richmond Heights Council, after several tense council meetings, has approved legislation to raise the mayor’s purchase limit from $5,000 to $15,000. During a meeting last month debate broke out between several council members on whether Kim Thomas should be able to increase her contracting authori ty for goods and services that do not reach the city charter requirement of $25,000, which triggers a requirement to have competitive bidding. After the vote at the Feb. 10 council meeting, Thomas wrote in a statement that she was pleased that council decided to approve the change and said that it would save them tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. “For nearly 30 years, Richmond Heights has operated under a spending authority threshold that no longer reflects today’s economic realities,” Thomas wrote. “The rising cost of goods, inflation, and tariffs have changed the financial landscape. Continuing to operate under outdated limits has required the drafting of more than 150 pieces of legislation annually, many of them routine renewals, creating unnecessary legal costs for our taxpayers. “We reduce the need for excessive legislative drafting and save the city nearly $50,000 annually in legal fees alone. This adjustment aligns Richmond Heights with similarly sized communities and reflects the responsible modernization of our policies.” She said it would also allow department heads to be more flexible if a purchase needs to be made as they won’t have to wait up to two weeks for a council meeting for it to be approved. “Most importantly, this change allows the administration to respond quickly and efficiently to infrastructure needs, public safety matters, maintenance issues, and economic development opportunities without delays that increase costs or disrupt services,” Thomas wrote. “It helps us avoid emergency pricing, strengthens our competitiveness for grants and contracts, and ensures continuity of operations during time-sensitive situations. “It is also important to note that this spending authority was already approved within our 2026 budget. This legislation simply aligns our operational authority with the budget the Council has already passed.” Councilperson Daniel Ursu, who previously expressed skepticism on if the limit should be raised, ended up siding with Thomas and the rest of council by voting in favor of the change. Cassandra Nelson, councilperson for Ward 3, who was also critical of the increase, was not present for the vote. ...read more read less