The fiscal year of the Township shall begin on the first day
of January and end on the last day of December of each year.
On or before the 15th day of November of each year the Board
shall cause to be prepared a proposed budget for the ensuing fiscal
year. The budget shall contain an outline of the proposed financial
policies of the Township for the ensuing fiscal year. It shall indicate
the major changes proposed from the current year in financial policies,
expenditures and revenues, together with the reasons for such changes.
The budget shall provide a complete financial plan of all Township
funds and activities for the ensuing fiscal year, and except as required
by this Charter, shall be in such form as the Board may require. The
budget shall be organized so as to use the most feasible combination
of expenditure classification by fund, organization unit, program,
purpose or activity, and object. The budget shall contain, inter alia,
the following:
A.
It shall begin with a general summary of its contents.
B.
It shall show in detail all estimated income, indicating the existing
and proposed tax levies, as well as other assessments, fees and charges.
C.
It shall show all proposed expenditures, including debt service,
for the ensuing fiscal year.
D.
It shall show the number of proposed employees in every job classification.
E.
It shall be so arranged as to show comparative figures for actual
and estimated income and expenditures for the current fiscal year
and actual income and expenditures of the preceding fiscal year.
F.
It shall indicate proposed expenditures during the ensuing fiscal
year, detailed by offices, departments and agencies, in terms of their
respective work programs and the methods of financing such expenditures.
G.
It shall indicate proposed capital expenditures during the ensuing
fiscal year, detailed by offices, departments and agencies, when practicable,
and the proposed method of financing each such capital expenditure.
The total proposed expenditures budgeted shall not exceed the
total of estimated income.
The annual budget shall be a public record and shall be available
for public inspection after submission and prior to adoption, and
after adoption, during regular business hours.
The annual budget shall be adopted by ordinance. The action
shall be taken prior to the commencement of the year for which the
budget is prepared, but only after it has been available for public
inspection, after due notice, for at least 10 days.
The Board may modify the budget by ordinance during the fiscal
year for which the budget was adopted; provided, however, that such
modification shall not result in expenditures exceeding the estimated
income determined as of the time of the modification.
Adoption of the budget and modifications thereof shall constitute
appropriations for the expenditures set forth therein.
No payment of any funds of the Township shall be made unless
provided for in the budget and specifically approved by the Board;
provided, however, that payroll and utility expenditures may be made
at the direction of the Chairman of the Board where based upon a prior
ordinance or contract. All checks or drafts of the Township shall
be signed by the Treasurer and shall be countersigned by the Chairman,
or in his absence, the Vice Chairman of the Board.
The Board shall provide for an independent annual post audit
of all Township accounts by a certified public accountant who has
no personal interest, direct or indirect, in the fiscal affairs of
the Township government or any of its elected or appointed officers.
The Board may provide for more frequent audits, as well as special
audits, as it deems necessary. The results of the annual audit and
a financial statement of the fiscal affairs of the Township shall
be presented to the Board and published in a newspaper circulating
generally in the Township by April 1 of the year following the fiscal
year audited.
Before entering upon the duties of their respective offices
or positions, the Township Treasurer, as well as any other officer,
agent or employee of the Township as the Board may determine, shall
execute and file with the Township corporate surety bonds, conditioned
for the honest and faithful performance of their respective duties,
in such sums as shall be fixed by the Board. All such bonds and sureties
thereon, before being accepted by the Township, shall be approved
by the Township Solicitor. The agency placing such bonds shall be
determined by the Board and the premium therefore shall be paid by
the Township. Such bonds may provide for one or more additional obligees
in the event that the officer bonded is acting in a dual or similar
capacity with other political subdivisions or governmental or quasi-governmental
entities.
In all matters of taxation, borrowing of money (temporary or
by issuance of bonds), the Board shall be governed by the limits as
established by the Legislature for second class townships and uniform
general State law.
