Brocton village Trustee Drew Ransom is exactly correct to question an increase in a spending limit in the small municipality. This month, despite his concerns, village leaders upped the threshold from $1,500 to $5,000 for purchases that do not need prior approval.

Discussion on the topic began after village Clerk Scott Jagoda made the initial suggestion due to the rising cost of goods and services due to inflation.

Waste Water Treatment Supervisor Rich Lewis highlighted an example of a recent emergency purchase he made after calling Mayor Craig Miller for authorization that totaled roughly $3,800. Without the timely purchase, the village could have been forced to foot a much more expensive bill.

Ransom, however, stood his ground. “It’s just when it comes to the whole idea of a board and what their responsibilities are, spending is a big one,” he said.

Absolutely. This newspaper is consistently conservative when it comes to spending and too often the government is not.

That $5,000 limit is a big change. Maybe it is too steep for a village where spending tops $3.8 million.

Remember, decisions like these have legacies. No matter how responsible this group may be in spending, it could be someone down the road who takes advantage of the generous threshold for the wrong reasons.

Then, like Ransom said, someone will have to pay.