Purchases and leases of supplies, materials, or equipment may be made immediately in emergencies without competitive bidding and public advertisement. Emergencies, or unexpected trouble, might include delays by contractors, delays in transportation or an unexpected amount of work.

Once an emergency buy is made, the person or body who authorized it must prepare a record specifying the amount paid, the items purchased, the vendor and the nature of the emergency. As with other purchase records, this log must be provided as soon as possible to the chief executive officer and the municipality’s governing body.