DISTRICT CREDIT CARD USE It is the policy of the Board of Directors to authorize the Board Secretary to enter into an agreement with a financial institution for the use of a district credit card. Use of this credit card shall be limited to expenditures necessary to conduct school district business. District level credit card(s) shall not be checked out to buildings or utilized at the individual building level for purchases. It is the policy of the school district to purchase only those approved products and services with the District issued credit card. Only those items that cannot be purchased through the established purchase order or requisition methods, or those items or services that can be purchased at a reduced cost utilizing on-line credit card purchasing, may be approved. Use of the district issued credit card is limited to the Board Secretary or Business Office Coordinator and shall only occur at the school district site. District credit card purchases may be made by telephone, facsimile, or over the internet. It is not permissible for the district credit card to be issued to other employees. A card may be checked out in limited circumstances for out of state or overseas travel. District credit card purchases shall be limited to the following: 1. On line air travel tickets 2. Conference registrations as approved by the Superintendent 3. Other travel related expenses that can only be paid through on line credit card purchases. 4. Other approved purchases that can only be paid with a credit card. All District Level credit card purchases must be directed to the District Business Office for approval and processing.
Pg. 2 BUILDING LEVEL PURCHASING CARD USE It is the policy of the Board of Directors to authorize the Board Secretary to enter into an agreement with a financial institution for the use of building level purchase cards. Use of these cards shall be limited to expenditures necessary to conduct school building business. It is the policy of the school district to purchase only those approved products and services with the building issued cards. Only those items that cannot be purchased through the established purchase order or requisition methods will be approved. Use of the building issued card is limited to those purchases at a local vendor conducted by a building level employee or Parent Group Officer. Building card purchases may NOT be made by telephone, facsimile, or over the internet with the exception of subscriptions for on line software utilized in the classroom for student instruction. All subscriptions will be approved, set up, and managed by the Building Administrator through the building office. Staff are not allowed to set up subscriptions. Note: this does not include items, supplies. It is not permissible for a building level card to be issued to employees of other buildings or to any building level employee who has not consented to the terms and conditions of use. Building card purchases shall be limited to the following: 1. Local in person purchases of necessary classroom/building items 2. Items that cannot be purchased with normal requisition or PO methods with permission from the District Administrator. Overview Use of Purchasing Cards is a cost-effective way to reduce the administrative costs associated with making frequent and low dollar purchases. Purchasing Cards will be made available to employees and Parent Group officers who are given the authority to purchase items for their school/department.
Pg. 3 Purchasing Card Administrator Building level purchasing cards will be issued by the District Level Administrator. The District Level Card Administrator will have overall District responsibility for the Purchasing Card program. Issuance Issuance of a Building Level Purchasing Card will be initiated by the Building Administrator and will require employee training and a signed Purchasing Card Agreement. Purchasing Card Limits and Restrictions Unless otherwise requested and approved, Purchasing Cards will have a single item transaction limit of $500 and a monthly limit of $10,000. Purchases are not to be split into multiple transactions in order to circumvent single transaction limits. To increase limits after a card has been issued, contact the District Level Purchasing Card Administrator. For specific transactions or events, limits can be increased on a temporary basis by contacting the District Level Purchasing Card Administrator and providing the specific information. A complete and comprehensive listing of all possible transactions that are either appropriate or inappropriate for Building Level Purchasing Card use is, for all intents and purposes, impractical to establish and maintain. It is the intent of the District s Purchasing Card program to establish a set of operating rules, guidelines and procedures to minimize instances of card misuse and maximize its benefits to the organization. In order to establish a general framework, the following guidelines are provided. In all cases, personal use of the Purchasing Card is strictly prohibited! Follow District purchasing policies. Select a vendor based upon best price, quality and service. It is incumbent upon all employees who wish to maintain their privilege of using the Building Purchasing Card to be good stewards of public funds. Employees are expected to compare vendors whenever possible and practical in an effort to ensure that the best value is obtained. It cannot be over emphasized that use of the Building Purchasing Card is a privilege not a right. The District reserves the right to remove card privileges for misuse. Some merchants have been blocked from usage in this program based on their merchant category code (i.e.: athletic clubs, barber shops, physicians, and liquor
Pg. 4 stores). If you present your Purchasing Card to any of these vendors, the transaction will be declined. Most vendors currently used by the District as a source for products and services who accept VISA should accept your Purchasing Card. If you are declined and feel it should not have occurred, contact the Purchasing Card Administrator. The Purchasing Process Sign the Card Use Agreement (required once of all persons) Check out the Building Level Card from the Building Secretary. How To: Make a Purchase: The Purchasing Card may be used to purchase goods/services in person only with the exception of approved subscriptions for educational software conducted by the Building Administration. 1. State that you are with College Community Schools, that you will be using a VISA and that the District is sales tax exempt. If the vendor requests the tax-exempt number, it is 42-730077F and is printed on the Purchasing Card. If the vendor requests a tax-exempt certificate, they can request it directly from the Business Office at (319) 848-5223. 2. Obtain a receipt, including from an online subscription. An acceptable receipt must include the vendor name, date, dollar amount and description of items purchased. 3. Return the Card and the receipt to the building secretary. Cards must be checked in immediately with receipt. How To: Handle Returns or Exchanges The Building Employee is responsible for managing any returns and exchanges directly with the vendor and for ensuring that the proper credit is received from the vendor for returned merchandise. 1. Contact the vendor directly and obtain instructions for returns and exchanges. 2. Return or exchange the item in person at the store. 3. Log the return or exchange on your Purchasing Card Transaction Log. Include as much detail as possible. 4. Review future statements to ensure that your Purchasing Card account is properly credited. 5. Cash Refunds are strictly prohibited.
Pg. 5 How To: Handle Disputed Charges If there is a charge that is not recognized by the Building Administrator or if it appears to be incorrect, the Building Administrator must seek resolution with the vendor immediately. Common examples of disputes are: merchandise was returned, duplicate or incorrect charges. If the problem cannot be resolved with the vendor, call the District Administrator immediately at 848-5223. How To: Reconcile Your Purchasing Card Statement The Purchasing Card is designed to facilitate point-of-sale purchases and streamline payment procedures for authorized users. With this authority comes the responsibility for maintaining adequate documentation for each purchase. All purchases must have an itemized receipt. On a monthly basis each Building Administrator will receive an individual statement directly from Hills Bank. By the 10 th day of the month following your transactions and after receipt of statement, the Building Administrator is required to submit an accounting of the charges to the District Administrator. The accounting must include: The statement received from Hills Bank Original receipts for all charges attached to the statement Account code(s) to be charged for each transaction A description of each charge, noted on the transaction log and on the attached receipt Building Administrators shall use their Purchasing Card Transaction Log to reconcile actual transactions to the Hills Bank monthly statement. Building Administrators who do not submit the required documentation to the District Administrator by the 5 th day of the month will have their Purchasing Card privileges suspended or revoked. The District Administrator will receive a monthly master bill from Hills Bank that must be paid in a timely manner. Monthly statements and transactions will be subject to audit by the District s Purchasing and Accounting departments as well as external auditors and State of Iowa auditors. In the event of a lost or stolen card, the Building Administrator must notify District Administrator immediately. Hills Bank will immediately close the account, transfer account information to a new account number and issue a replacement card. Approved: 2/20/06 Reviewed: 9/21/09 Revised: 1/20/14
Revised: 6/15/15 Revised: 12/19/16 Reviewed: 4/9/18