Township of North Brunswick, NJ Chapter 6 Claims Procedure

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee (now Mayor and Council) of the Township of North Brunswick 12-20-1976; amended in its entirety 9-2-2003 by Ord. No. 03-28. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 6-1 Authorization to deliver goods or perform services.

A. No vendor shall enter into a contract with the Township or perform any work on behalf of the Township without first receiving authorization therefor in the form of a duly executed purchase order approved by the Township's Purchasing Agent and, if applicable, a resolution of the Township Council approving said contract. Any such authorization is expressly limited to the dollar figure indicated in the purchase order. Any increases in such authorization shall require a revised purchase order prior to the delivery of goods or the rendering of services.

B. Any professional having executed a professional service contract shall, upon performing services totaling 70% of the amount of the purchase order, whether such services have been billed or not, provide the Township Purchasing Agent with an estimate as to whether additional funds are anticipated to be necessary to conclude the matter. If the professional determines in accordance with the provisions hereof that, having expended 70% of the amount authorized by the purchase order that the remaining 30% will be insufficient to complete the tasks set forth in this agreement, the professional shall immediately notify the Township Business Administrator and the Township Purchasing Agent requesting that the Township Council approve an amended professional service budget and resolution prior to the rendering of any additional services beyond the authorized amount. The Township shall not be responsible for the payment of any sums in excess of the original encumbered amount unless there has been compliance with this section.

§ 6-2 Presentation of bill of demand.

Any person claiming payment from the municipality for goods delivered or services rendered shall present a duty certified detailed bill of demand in the form of a municipal voucher, same to be presented to the Township Chief Financial Officer or his/her designee. Said bill of demand must be sufficiently detailed so that any individual without intimate knowledge of the facts and circumstances surrounding the claim can understand what work was performed. The detail shall include:

A. For a claim based upon delivery of goods, a description of the goods delivered, the delivery date, the delivery location (or person receiving delivery), the cost per unit and the total units delivered.

B. For a claim based upon services rendered, where the services are to be compensated on an hourly basis, a description of said services, identification of the specific projects for which payment is requested, a status update of each respective project (i.e., percentage complete, project billings to date, remaining hours and/or dollars to complete, to the extent ascertainable, etc.), the claimant's personnel assigned to each project, claimant personnel titles and their billing rates, the exact days and hours billed for each claimant personnel, a description of each task performed by the service provider and the time spent on each such task based upon increments of no less than a quarter hour, and any other information necessary for adequate clarification.

C. For a claim based upon services rendered on a fixed-fee basis, a description of the services rendered, identification of the specific project, and a status update of each respective project (i.e., percentage complete, project billings to date, remaining dollars to complete, etc.)

§ 6-3 Certification of voucher.

It shall be the duty of the Chief Financial Officer or his/her designee to receive verification from the appropriate department head or municipal employee who has knowledge that said goods or services rendered were in fact delivered to the municipality. Said verification shall be evidenced by having the appropriate department head or municipal employee certify this knowledge by affixing his or her signature to the municipal voucher in the designated place.

§ 6-4 Adjustment of claims.

The Township Purchasing Agent, Chief Financial Officer or other official designated by the Mayor and Council may question the accuracy, veracity or legitimacy of any claim against the township by demanding further clarification from the claimant and, where appropriate, making adjustments in claims submitted. The Mayor and Council shall be the final arbitrator of any payment of claims dispute.

§ 6-5 Approval by Mayor and Council.

After being satisfied that all claims are in proper order and that moneys are available for payment, the Chief Financial Officer shall deliver said bills to the Mayor and Council for approval at a public meeting of said body. Claims shall be approved for payment not less than once per calendar month. The Chief Financial Officer may set administrative deadlines after which claims may not be submitted for approval at a given meeting of the governing body.

§ 6-6 Recording of claims in minutes.

It shall be the duty of the Clerk to record all claims, approved or disapproved, in the official minutes. Any claim disapproved by the Mayor and Council shall be referred back to the Chief Financial Officer with explanation, said explanation likewise to be entered into the public record.

§ 6-7 Payment procedure.

Upon approval of payment by the Mayor and Council, the Chief Financial Officer shall forthwith prepare all necessary checks, same to be signed by the Mayor or other designated member of the Township Council and co-signed by the Chief Financial Officer. All such checks shall be recorded in proper books of account and thereafter mailed or otherwise delivered to claimants.

§ 6-8 Payroll checks.

In the case of payrolls, the Chief Financial Officer shall prepare, sign and issue payroll checks in accordance with proper payroll procedure and upon certification that each employee has rendered the service for which he or she is receiving remuneration.