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In practice, the City has established monthly credit limits of $200 - $5,000 depending on the employee and the types of purchases they make. Of the City's 155 full-time employees, 55 have been issued a purchasing card and are authorized to make purchases on behalf of the City, under the guidance of the Department Heads. It is worth noting that these individuals are the same individuals authorized to make purchases on `store credit'. In addition to having greater purchasing controls, the use of purchasing cards also produce a secondary advantage -it's more cost effective than paying with cash or by check. With purchasing card transactions, the payment is made automatically, sparing the City the resources needed to generate a check and mail it. Check Register Format As noted above, the Council has inquired about the information presented in the check register that comes before the Council for approval. The current inquiry focuses on the information presented for purchasing card transactions. Attachment A contains a copy of the check register format that is currently being used in Roseville along with a copy of the check register used by the City of Brooklyn Park. The Brooklyn Park example is included as it was previously cited by a Councilmember as perhaps being more informative than the current one in use at Roseville. A review of these two check registers suggest to Staff a remarkable similarity. Both check registers show the following; vendor, approximate date of payment or purchase, dollar amount, general expense description, and the Fund from which the payment is made. It's worth noting that the Brooklyn Park example only indicates the Fund number rather than the Fund description. Conceptually, this satisfies State Statute reporting requirements if the Brooklyn Park Council knows what the number actually relates to. In both Brooklyn Park and Roseville, neither City submits copies of the actual purchasing card statement; but both do respond to purchase inquiries as needed. The only discernable difference between the check registers is with the frequency at which they are provided to the respective City Councils. Brooklyn Park provides their lists weekly, Roseville provides it bi-weekly -both of which correspond to the frequency at which the respective Council's formally approve the check register. On a related note, Brooklyn Park has issued purchasing cards to approximately 100 employees. Roseville has 55. Final Comments While comparisons to other municipalities are informative and give a general perspective on what other communities do, it's important to bear in mind that local preferences or perceived higher standards are oftentimes coupled with higher costs. For the curious, the City of Brooklyn Park's tax rate is 78% higher than Roseville. ~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~-.,._.___..._ .m Perhaps it is more purposeful for the Council to simply consider their own information needs and communicate those needs to Staff. Staff will be available at the meeting to answer any questions. 3