SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder has the authority to spend thousands of dollars without the city council's approval.

Langfelder told WAND News "anything that's not a sole source contract" the council can spend up to $50,000. However, members of the council want to cut the mayor's limit to $10,000. If that were the case, the mayor said every city department would be impacted. 

"Any expenditure, if it's public works, if it's CWLP, you know, that deals with multi-million dollar contracts," Langfelder said. "Anything over $10,000 would have to go through an ordinance for their approval." 

"So, why now all of a sudden?" WAND's Tristan Hardy asked the mayor. 

"I think it comes from the NAACP expenditure," Langfelder replied. 

The mayor said the local NAACP is working on creating a school. Its purpose is to help expelled students graduate. The mayor said it has a 90% success rate.

Langfelder said the council denied the NAACP any funding. In response, the mayor fronted the organization $47,000 for air and heating purposes. 

"I think some of the council members were kind of hurt over that," Langfelder said. 

WAND News reached out to every member of the council for comment. The only one who responded was Alderman Shawn Gregory. 

"If there is any evidence of abuse of the mayor's authority spending and things which I'm not aware of (at) this time, certainly I would consider the ordinance that's at the table," Gregory said.

If the city council chooses to limit the mayor's spending power, it would have to come down to a vote. The mayor doesn't think it would be unanimous. 

"That's what will remain to be seen," Langfelder said. 

If he had the choice, Mayor Langfelder said he would do it again. 

The next Springfield city council meeting is April 20.Â