To: Board of Supervisors
From: County Administrative Office
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Update to CAL-Card Policy
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt the updated CAL-Card Policy (Attachment 1).
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
All county funds
DISCUSSION:
CAL-Card is the State of California’s purchasing card program, and the county has adopted its use for authorized cardholders. The CAL-Card policy was adopted in 2009 and last revised in 2014. The attached CAL-Card policy revision clarifies roles and responsibilities for the Program Administrator (County Administrative Office), Designated Billing Office (Auditor-Controller), Approving Officials (department heads and/or designees), and Cardholders, as well as clarifications and improved processes around transaction limits, training and preventing late payments, among other changes. The most significant changes include:
• Clarifies that Designated Billing Office (DBO) will monthly distribute the Record of Orders forms showing monthly charges to each cardholder for reconciliation and will review those forms when returned.
• Cardholders must attend mandatory CAL-Card training at the first available scheduled session.
• In order to prevent late fees, DBO will charge the default budget unit that is included in each Cardholder’s acknowledgement form when they sign up to receive a CAL-Card. When a Cardholder does not reconcile their monthly Record of Orders form in time, it presents processing issues. Therefore, using the default budget unit information allows payments to be made timely to pay CAL-Card balances.
• Transaction limits are set at $1,000 as a default, and Department Heads can request the Program Administrator to increase an individual Cardholder’s limit, up to $10,000.
• The County Administrative Office-Purchasing Team, as the County Administrative Officer’s designee serving as the Purchasing Agent, may purchase on behalf of another department after authorization is given by that department.
• Disciplinary action procedures are posted on HumNet, and Cardholder privileges may be suspended or revoked for violation of the CAL-Card procedures.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no immediate impact to the General Fund as a result of adopting the updated CAL-Card policy. However, the procedures in the updated CAL-Card policy will serve as an additional layer of protection to prevent the county from incurring further late fees and suspension of service. The updated policy will also provide efficiencies in processing payments, saving staff time on CAL-Card matters
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by managing our resources to ensure sustainability of services .
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
All county departments, US Bank
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could choose not to approve this policy. This is not recommended as the modifications provide for improved processes.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. CAL-Card Policy Revision
2. Redline Version of CAL-Card Policy Revision
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A