[Amended 10-20-1992 by Ord. No. 643-92; 5-26-2010 by Ord. No. 1511-2010]
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:4-3.1 or 40A:3.2, as appropriate, the
City of Perth Amboy shall commence operating on a Calendar Fiscal
Year beginning with Calendar Year 2011.
[Amended 10-20-1992 by Ord. No. 643-92]
A. Pursuant to the Charter, during the month of May in each year all
department heads shall submit to the Administrator requests for appropriations
for the next ensuing budget year. Each department head shall appear
at the public hearing, pursuant to the Charter, on the budget request
and shall then justify the request in terms of work to be performed,
service to be rendered or programs to be administered.
B. Budget requests shall be in such form and detail as the Administrator
shall prescribe.
C. The Mayor shall submit to the City Council a recommended budget no
later than February 14 of that budget year, together with such explanatory
comment or statement as may be deemed desirable. The budget shall
be in such form as required by current operating section and a capital
section, together with a detailed analysis of the various items of
expenditure and revenue and, to the extent feasible, appropriate statements
of the cost of performance of functional programs and activities in
terms of quantitative, countable units of work for operating expenditures
and projected annual costs of operation, maintenance and debt.
[Amended 12-9-2020 by Ord. No. 1961-2020]
The Council will consider and act upon the Mayor's recommended
budget in accordance with the requirements of the local budget law.
Budget appropriations shall be controlled by an encumbrance
system which shall be prescribed or approved by the Administrator.
Upon the approval of the Mayor, the Administrator shall establish
quarterly or such other periodic allotments of appropriations as he
may deem desirable. Each department shall plan and administer its
work program within the limits of such allotments, and no commitments
shall be incurred in excess of any such allotment except upon written
authorization of the Mayor.
[Amended 9-25-1996 by Ord. No. 862-96]
Within the limits of available appropriations, the Mayor is
authorized to negotiate and execute contracts and other legally binding
obligations of the City. Any such contractual document shall be signed
by the Mayor, authorized by the Chief Financial Officer and approved
by the Corporation Counsel for legal form and sufficiency. Purchase
orders, for which a formal contract is not required by the charter,
may be authorized by the Business Administrator within the limits
of available appropriations.
Where contracts are let by competitive bidding pursuant to the
charter, the Business Administrator shall be the city's "contracting
agent" for the purposes of Laws of 1971, Chapter 198, or any amendment
or supplement thereto. He may award the contract in the manner prescribed by
law and shall report to Council at its next meeting all such bids
and awards. The contract shall be executed in the manner above provided.
A. All purchases of any supplies, materials or equipment or contractual
services for a department shall be made by the Department of Administration
pursuant to a written requisition from the head of the department
whose appropriation will be charged and the certification of the Comptroller
that a sufficient unencumbered balance of appropriation is available
to pay therefor. All purchasing shall comply with the Local Public
Contracts Law (Laws of 1971, Chapter 198; N.J.S.A. 40A-11-1 et seq.),
and any amendments or supplements thereto.
B. The director of each department shall designate, by writing filed
with the Administrator, the name or names of employees in the department
authorized to receive supplies, materials and equipment. A person
so designated shall accept deliveries and sign for them, only where
the goods are in exact conformity with the order. Should there be
any doubt as to quantity or quality, the receiving employee shall
immediately notify the department head for appropriate action. If
any supplies, materials or equipment are rejected, the department
head shall immediately notify the Administrator.
C. Except as the Administrator may authorize in case of emergency, no
purchase shall be made and no bill, claim or voucher shall be approved
unless the procedures prescribed by or pursuant to the code have been
followed.
[Amended 10-20-1992 by Ord. No. 643-92]
The purchase of any item may be made without advertisement for
bids notwithstanding that the amount involved exceeds the statutory
threshold for public bidding requirements as calculated by the Governor
pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-3 where an emergency exists affecting
the public health, safety or welfare and requiring immediate action.
The Administrator shall establish procedures, in compliance with N.J.S.A.
40A:11-6 and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, which will
permit such emergency purchases to be made for specific purposes in
a manner other than that prescribed by this article.
[Amended 10-20-1992 by Ord. No. 643-92]
Where purchases in excess of $1,000 are made without competitive
bidding, the Administrator shall obtain, wherever possible, at least
three price quotations for the item or items to be purchased and shall
record and maintain such quotations in his office for at least two
years from the time they are furnished. Wherever circumstances permit,
the purchase shall be made from the lowest of such quotations received
from a responsible bidder.
The Administrator shall establish or approve uniform standards
for requisitions and purchases. The Department of Administration shall
control the delivery of all supplies, materials and equipment and
other items purchased and shall make or cause to be made proper test
checks and inspections thereof. The Department shall ascertain whether
said supplies, materials, equipment and other items purchased comply
with the specifications and shall cause laboratory or other tests
to be made whenever in the opinion of the Administrator it is necessary
to determine whether the materials or supplies furnished are of the
quality and standard required.
The Administrator shall present to the Council once each month
a summary of the purchase transactions of the city since the next
preceding report.
No bill, demand or claim shall be paid unless it contains a
detailed statement of the items or demand, specifying particularly
how the bill or demand is made up, and a certification of the party
claiming payment that it is correct; nor shall any bill, claim or
demand be paid unless the voucher on which it is presented carries
a certification of a department head or of his duly designated representative,
having personal knowledge of the facts, that the goods have been received
by or the services rendered to the city.
A. All bills, claims and demands against the city shall be deemed approved
or disapproved by the City Council (for the purposes of N.J.S.A. 40A:5-17)
in accordance with the action of the Chief Financial Officer or designee.
A voucher on a form prescribed by the Chief Financial Officer and
approved by the Business Administrator shall be presented for each
bill, claim or demand and be paid only upon the audit, warrant and
approval of the Chief Financial Officer or designee. Disbursement
shall be made by a combination warrant-bank check or draft warranted
and signed by the Chief Financial Officer or designee and countersigned
by the mayor, except that payroll checks may be signed by the Chief
Financial Officer and the Mayor upon voucher and warrant of the Chief
Financial Officer or designee for a total payroll.
[Amended 10-5-1993 by Ord. No. 684-93; 9-25-1996 by Ord. No. 862-96]
B. The Comptroller shall prepare for each regular meeting of the Council
a list of all bills, claims and vouchers which have been paid through
the close of business on the second day next preceding the meeting
and since the last preceding list was compiled. Such list shall be
filed with the Clerk as a public record open to examination in his
office, and he shall note such filing in his minutes, together with
a total of each listing.
Salaries, wages and other compensation of all officers and employees
shall be paid biweekly. The head of each department shall certify
to the Comptroller, at such times and in such form as he shall prescribe,
the names and positions of all persons employed in or by the department
who are entitled to be paid in the next ensuing payroll. The Comptroller
shall then complete a central payroll for the city and prepare the
necessary checks for signature.
The Council will designate and retain a registered municipal
accountant of New Jersey to prepare and submit annually a postaudit
of all city accounts, in accordance with state laws and regulations.