Any person claiming payment from the Borough
of Alpha shall submit a detailed statement of the items, specifying
particularly how the bill is made up, and a claimant's certification
and a purchase order signed by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or
Treasurer. No bill, claim or demand shall be considered for payment
unless the requisition is approved by the director and department
head and the purchase order is attached to it with knowledge of the
facts that the goods have been received by or the services rendered
to the Borough of Alpha. The CFO and/or Treasurer shall sign the certification
of availability of funds.
The bill or claim duly certified shall be presented
to the CFO/Treasurer for inclusion in the agenda of the next immediate
formal meeting of the governing body, and it shall be the duty of
the CFO/Treasurer to examine all bills or claims submitted in order
to ascertain if proper administrative procedures have been followed.
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 Treasurer/CFO,
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 an appropriate record as to any claim
disapproved or rejected. All records pertaining to approved and disapproved
bills or claims shall be available for public inspection.
After the governing body has the claims approved,
the claims shall be turned over to the Treasurer or CFO, who shall
forthwith prepare the necessary checks for payment thereof, which
said checks shall be signed by the Mayor or Council President in absence
of the Mayor, Treasurer or CFO and the Municipal Clerk.
There may be an account to be designated the
"Borough of Alpha Payroll Account," and from time to time the Borough
Treasurer, on receipt of a warrant or an amount due the payroll account,
shall deposit it to the credit of the payroll account, charging the
appropriate budgetary accounts therewith. Disbursement from the payroll
account may be made by payroll checks signed by the Treasurer or,
in his absence, by the Clerk upon preaudit by the Treasurer and approval
by the Council of the entire payroll. In case of error or adjustment
in the payroll, the Treasurer shall make proper correction and appropriate
record thereof.
Itemized claims supported by receipts, where
available, shall be presented in order to obtain reimbursement for
expenses incurred by local officials where authorized to travel by
the Borough.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this article,
upon adoption by the Local Finance Board of rules adopted pursuant
to the Administrative Procedure Act, P.L. 1968, c. 410 (N.J.S.A. 52:14B-1
et seq.), that provide for procedures to be followed by local units
and under those circumstances deemed appropriate by the Board, a local
unit shall be permitted to pay out its moneys without requiring a
certification of the party claiming payment as otherwise required
by this article. Such circumstances may include, but shall not be
limited to:
A.
When payment to vendors is required in advance of
the delivery of certain materials or services that cannot be obtained
from any other source at comparable prices; or
B.
When ordering, billing and payment transactions for
goods or services are made through a computerized electronic transaction;
or
C.
When claim or demand is less than a threshold set
by the Board and the certification is not readily obtainable by the
contracting unit; but such exceptions shall not include reimbursement
of employee expenses or payment for personal services.
