7-3-4434. Purchase and sale of supplies and property. (1) The director of finance or city manager shall, in manner provided by ordinance, purchase all supplies for the municipality and sell all real and personal property of the municipality not needed or unsuitable for public use or that may have been condemned as useless by the director of a department. He shall have charge of such storerooms and storehouses of the municipality as may be provided by ordinance, in which shall be stored all supplies and materials purchased by the municipality and not delivered to the various departments.
     (2) He shall inspect all supplies delivered to determine quality and quantity and conformance with specifications, and no voucher shall be honored unless the accompanying invoice shall be endorsed as approved.
     (3) He may require from the director of each department, at such times as contracts for supplies are to be let, a requisition for the quantity and kind of supplies to be paid for from the appropriations of the department.
     (4) Upon certification that funds are available in the proper appropriations, such goods shall be purchased and shall be paid for from funds in the proper department for that purpose. However, this procedure shall not prejudice the director of finance or city manager from purchasing goods for cash to the credit of the stores account to be furnished the several departments on requisition; goods so furnished to be paid for by the department furnished therewith by warrant made payable to the stores account.
     (5) He shall not furnish any supplies to or purchase any supplies for any department unless there be to the credit of such department an available appropriation balance in excess of all unpaid obligations sufficient to pay for such supplies.
     (6) Before making any purchase or sale, the director of finance or city manager shall give opportunity for competition, all proposals to be upon precise specifications and under such rules as the commission shall establish. Each order of purchase or sale, to be approved and countersigned by the city manager or his deputy.
     (7) In cases of emergency, purchases may be made without competition if a sufficient appropriation has theretofore been made against which purchases may lawfully be charged. In such cases, a copy of the order issued shall be filed with the director of finance, together with a certificate by the head of the department stating the facts of the emergency. A copy of this certificate shall be attached to and filed with the voucher covering payment for the supplies. The director of finance shall have such assistants and force of office employees as may be necessary to properly carry out his duties under the provisions of this part and part 43. If it is found desirable, he may divide his office into divisions presided over by the following officers: accountant, treasurer, and purchasing agent.

     History: En. Sec. 68, Ch. 152, L. 1917; re-en. Sec. 5466, R.C.M. 1921; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 31, L. 1923; re-en. Sec. 5466, R.C.M. 1935; R.C.M. 1947, 11-3267(8) thru (13).