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9 | Page <br />Public Purpose Expenditures Policy <br />Purpose <br />The City Council (Council) recognizes that public funds may only be spent if the expenditure meets <br />a public purpose and the expenditure relates to the governmental purpose for which the City of <br />Brooklyn Park (City) was created. <br />The meaning of “public purpose” is constantly evolving. The Minnesota Supreme Court has <br />followed a broad approach and has generally concluded that “public purpose” means an activity <br />that meets ALL the following standards: <br />The activity will primarily benefit the community as a body. <br />The activity is directly related to functions of government. <br />The activity does not have as its primary objective the benefit of a private interest whether <br />profit or not-for-profit. <br />This policy is intended to provide guidelines regarding which expenditures are for public purposes <br />and authorized in accordance with the City’s annual budget process, and which expenditures are <br />not considered to fall within the public purpose definition and are therefore not allowed. There is a <br />public benefit in ensuring high employee productivity and morale, recruitment and retention of <br />personnel. <br />Responsibility <br />The City Manager is the responsible authority overseeing all City expenditures and as such is the <br />chief purchasing agent for the City. Responsibility for administering this Public Purpose <br />Expenditure Policy has been delegated to the Finance Department. Further, all officers and <br />employees authorized by their Department to make purchases for the benefit of their respective <br />departments are responsible for complying with this policy and corresponding procedures. <br />Policy <br />Expenditures of public funds must comply with the public purpose standards defined above. When <br />reviewing an expenditure to verify the standards have been met, the City Manager, or his/her <br />designee, should consider the time of day the event is held, the business purpose of the event, <br />whether the event was intended to attract non-City employees, the frequency of the event, and the <br />reasonableness of the cost. The following guidelines address specific examples of public <br />expenditures, but examples are not meant to be all-inclusive. <br />The Minnesota Supreme Court further clarified that activities that promote the following objectives <br />for the benefit of all the city’s residents further a public purpose: <br />•Public health <br />•Safety <br />•General welfare <br />•Security <br />•Prosperity <br />•Contentment <br />These procedures are governed by City Charter, the City Council, and State Statute. See <br />appendix for exact references. <br />1.Permitted Expenditures for Meals, Refreshments: <br />Use of City funds in reasonable amounts for meals and/or refreshments for elected and <br />appointed city officials and employees are permitted in the following circumstances, with <br />Department Head approval: