Presenter
Presented by Mr. Shields
Title
Resolution supplementing the Rules of Council, Rule XVII, by establishing guidelines and procedures for the expenditure of funds of individual Council Members.
Body
Be it resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The Rules of Council are hereby amended and supplemented as follows:
RULE XVII
An individual Councilperson may expend funds from their own Councilperson budget account, only for the purpose intended and designated for staffing and consultants only through the following procedure:
A. Where it appears at any time that When a temporary employee's total annual payment amount will exceed $10,000, the employing Councilperson shall assure that the temporary employee enters into a contract with the Clerk's Office, and the contract shall include a detailed list of duties, the nature of work to be performed and a specific rate of pay (hourly wage) commensurate with the work to be performed. Time cards must be submitted to the City Clerk on a bi-weekly basis and the individual employing Councilmember must sign off on all requests for payment.
B. Where it appears that When any Professional Services matter will result in expenditures in excess of $1,000 annually, the employing Councilperson shall assure that the individual or entity providing such professional services shall enter into a contract that will include a scope of services detailing the nature of the work to be performed, the duties to be performed and a specific rate of pay, including a “not to exceed” amount. Professional services shall also include a verifiable description of qualifications of the individual or firm chosen to perform the service. Members are encouraged to utilize existing resources such as universities or firms which specialize in the desired product.
C. All reimbursable travel or education and training of staff and members shall first be approved by the President of Council.
D. Before any miscellaneous service expenditure or professional service contracts by Council are introduced they must first be approved by the President of Council. The President of Council's expenditures shall be approved by the President Pro Tempore.
In order to allow time for review, all invoices must be submitted by end of business Friday to be included on the following week's agenda. Any submission after Friday will be held until the following week. All invoices must be filled out completely, signed by the Council Member, and include all backup documentation including but not limited to:
1. Receipts of expenditures for reimbursement.
2. Time cards for employees, including rate of compensation.
3. Duties performed and nature of work completed.
4. Social Security Number of employee.
5. Tax I.D. Number for non-profit entities.
6. Description of qualifications of individuals or organizations performing tasks.
E. As a general rule, the budgeted salary account is only permitted to be used for payment of staff salaries. If at any time a budget transfer between miscellaneous services and salaries is necessary, upon an explanation of the basis for each transfer, such transfers must be approved through the formal legislative process.