[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council
(now Township Committee) of the Township of Oxford 10-196-1975 (Ch.
5 of the 1974 Township Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
Any firm, business, person or persons claiming
payment from the Township of Oxford shall first submit a detailed
statement of the items or demand necessitating such claim to the Township
Clerk or responsible department head, specifying particularly how
the bill or demand is made up, and a certification by the party claiming
payment that it is correct. No bill, claim or demand shall be considered
for payment unless the voucher has attached to it or includes a certification
by a department head or other municipal official responsible for the
particular function, or by his duly designated representative, having
personal knowledge of the facts that the goods have been received
by or the services rendered to the Township of Oxford and that those
services or goods are consistent with any existing contract or purchase
order. The Chief Financial Officer shall have the duty to audit, warrant
and make recommendations on all claims and bills.
The bill or claim duly certified shall be presented
to the Municipal Clerk for inclusion in the agenda of the next immediate
formal meeting of the governing body, and it shall be the duty of
the Clerk to examine all bills or claims submitted for payment in
order to ascertain if proper administrative procedures have been followed.
All claims or bills to be considered by the governing body shall be
listed systematically without preference.
Claims shall be considered by the governing
body, which shall approve the same, except that said governing body
may reject any claim presented to it, stating the reason for such
rejection. Any disapproved claim shall be referred back to the Municipal
Clerk with such instructions as the governing body may give at the
time of disapproval.
It shall be the duty of the Municipal Clerk
to record all claims in the official minutes or through an appropriate
claims register, indicating that the governing body has by formal
action approved the same with appropriate record as to any claims
disapproved or rejected. All records pertaining to approved and disapproved
bills or claims shall be available for public inspection.
After the Clerk has certified that the claims
have been approved, he shall turn the same over to the Treasurer,
or other Chief Financial Officer, who shall forthwith prepare the
necessary checks for the payment thereof, which said checks shall
be signed by the Mayor and thereafter signed by the Treasurer, or
other Chief Financial Officer. After preparing checks for the payment
of claims, he shall record them in proper books of account, and thereafter
the Municipal Clerk will mail the checks to the claimants.
