JACKSON — A bill to raise the minimum required for purchase orders from $2,500 to $5,000 passed out of the senate Thursday. The news comes after the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors voted to increase the minimum amount required to enter a purchase order Wednesday.

The vote made at a regularly scheduled docket meeting moves the county minimum to match the state minimum of $2,500. 

Until the vote, Lincoln County supervisors had to get a purchase order for any expense greater than $2,000. Expenses under $2,000 did not need a purchase order. 

Lincoln County Administrator Daniel Calcote said for one reason or another the county’s minimum was lower than the state’s purchase order minimum of $2,500. District 4 Supervisor Eli Ferguson asked if they could increase the county minimum to match the state’s minimum to cut down on the number of purchase orders they needed to fill out. 

District 5 Supervisor Doug Falvey said there was current legislation in the Mississippi legislature to bump the minimum for purchase orders up to $5,000. Senate Bill 2699 would increase the minimum to $5,000 and the bill passed out of the County Affairs senate committee. It is on the senate calendar as item No. 68. 

“We should leave it at $2,000 and see what the state does as the state tries to bump it up to $5,000,” Falvey said. 

District 3 Supervisor John David Hart said he was good to go with whatever the state does. District 2 Supervisor Keith Lewis asked if they could see what the state was doing. After some discussion, the board came to an agreement to raise the minimum to match the state and move the minimum again if SB2699 passes. Since the bill was passed out of the senate it will now go to the house where the bill will go to a committee and must make it out of committee before it goes up for a vote on the house floor. 

Wednesday, Ferguson motioned to raise the minimum while Hart and District 1 Supervisor Jerry Wilson seconded the motion. The board voted 5-0 in favor of the motion.