Any person claiming payment from the Borough
of Totowa shall first submit a detailed statement of the items or
demand necessitating such claim to the responsible executive agency,
specifying particularly how the bill or demand is made up and a certification
of 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 from a designated Borough employee,
having personal knowledge of the facts, that the goods have been received
by or the services rendered to the Borough of Totowa and that those
services or goods are consistent with an existing contract or purchase
order. The Treasurer 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 proceedings 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 and without preference, and said list
shall be made available to every member of said governing body at
least three full days prior to formal action of that body.
Claims shall be considered by the Council, which
shall approve the same, except that said governing body may reject
any claim presented to it, stating the reason for such rejection.
Any tie votes may be broken by vote of the Mayor. 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 records as to any claims
disapproved or rejected. All records pertaining to approved or disapproved
bills or claims shall be available for public inspection.
The Treasurer shall make disbursements upon
receipt of an order by the Borough Council, attested by the Municipal
Clerk. If in the event that the Mayor vetoes the payment of any claims
or bills, the Treasurer may be authorized to make payment by a vote
of the Borough Council whereby at least 2/3 of all the Councilmen
vote to override such veto of any claim or bill.
After the Clerk has certified that the claims
have been approved, he shall turn the same over to the Treasurer,
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. After preparing checks for the payment of claims,
he shall record them in proper books of account and thereafter mail
the checks to the claimants.