How the city buys things
How Milton works · Lesson 3
Every park mowed and every road paved starts with a purchase. Milton’s code sets out how the city shops, and the dollar amount decides who has to sign off.
Who’s in charge of buying
“The city council hereby appoints the city manager or his or her agent to serve as the purchasing agent for the city” (Sec. 2-624(a)). The purchasing agent runs the process the code lays out below.
The dollar lines
| Amount | What the code requires |
|---|---|
| Under $5,000 | “At least three documented verbal quotes,” written on the requisition. |
| Over $5,000, up to $50,000 | “At least three written quotes.” The City Manager can approve budgeted purchases up to $50,000 “without obtaining council approval.” |
| Over $50,000 | Sealed bids, when specifications are clear and two or more companies are willing to take part, or a request for proposals. Council approves or rejects every bid award or proposal of $50,000 or more. |
Sec. 2-626(b), (f). There are exceptions for some professional services, state and co-op contracts and purchases only one company can supply.
Bids and proposals, in plain English
A sealed bid is a price. The city writes the specifications, companies submit sealed prices, and the lowest qualified bid usually wins. A request for proposals is a pitch: companies propose how they’d do the job, and the city scores the proposals on more than price.
Both showed up on the Oct. 19, 2026 agenda. A $228,497 paving contract drew one bidder, and the memo says the city got one bid in each of its four earlier tries. The $691,000-a-year parks contract came through a request for proposals: four companies sent proposals, and the top-rated one was interviewed.
Change orders count
A change order adjusts a purchase after it’s made: the quantity, the line items, the price. The code adds it to the total: “Any requisition with a change order where the total procurement equals more than $50,000.00 requires mayor/city council approval,” and “the department cannot use the change order process to circumvent these purchasing” rules (Sec. 2-626(m)).
What to look for
- How many bids came in? One bid isn’t a violation, but it’s worth asking why no one else competed.
- Is the whole price there? Renewals, extras “billed separately” and change orders all add up.
- Which line does it sit under? A purchase just under $50,000 skips the Council vote. Several in a row to the same company are worth a look.
Quick check
-
Who does Milton's code name as the city's purchasing agent?
-
A bid award of $50,000 or more needs whose approval?
-
A $40,000 purchase gets a $15,000 change order. What happens?
