Difference between delegated financial authority (DFA) and authority to spend money (Spending Authority):

Delegated Financial Authority is broad and strategic. It is the power to make financial decisions and commitments on behalf of Council - including entering into contracts, creating budgets and financial allocations, approving new positions, or authorising projects. This covers Spending Authority but also includes decisions that create future financial obligations EVEN IF no immediate payment occurs. Limits depend on specific roles, and is ROLE SPECIFIC, not related to an individual.

Spending Authority is the operational power to commit funds and execute transactions - like approving invoices, and authorising payments. Someone with Spending Authority can actually cause money to leave Council's bank accounts to pay a bill for services/goods. This is assigned to specific roles and is aligned to an INDIVIDUAL who occupies that role.

A council officer may have Spending Authority to pay a $10,000 invoice but not have DFA to sign the $10,000 contract that created that invoice. Or - an ELT staff member may have FDA to commit Council to major projects up to $1,000,000, but they don't personally have spending authority to process the invoices that relate to that major project.