Borough of Fair Lawn, NJ Budget and Fiscal Procedures

Pursuant to the charter, during the month of October in each year, all department heads shall submit to the Manager requests for appropriations for the next ensuing budget year. Each department head shall appear at the public hearing, pursuant to the charter, on his/her budget requests and shall then justify the request in terms of work to be performed, service to be rendered or programs to be administered.

Budget requests shall be in such form and detail as the Manager shall prescribe.

At such time annually as shall coordinate with the requirements of state laws and regulations, the Planning Board shall prepare and submit to the Manager a capital program for the ensuing six fiscal years.

Pursuant to law, the Manager shall submit to the Council his/her tentative budget, together with such explanatory comment or statement as he/she may deem desirable. The budget shall be in such form as required by law for municipal budgets. It shall, in addition, include a current operation section and a capital section, together with detailed analyses 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 service for capital expenditures.

§ 2-112 Capital program and budget.

The capital section of the Manager's budget shall include a capital program for the ensuing six years, including:

(1)

A clear summary of its contents;

(2)

A list of all capital improvements which are proposed to be undertaken during the six fiscal years next ensuing, with appropriate supporting information as to the necessity for such improvements.

(3)

Cost estimates, method of financing and recommended priorities and time schedules for each such improvement.

The above information may be revised and extended each year with regard to capital improvements still pending or in process of construction or acquisition.

In the capital section of the budget document, the Manager shall include such capital projects and outlays as he/she may select from the capital program for the current capital budget, together with the relevant explanation and justification.

§ 2-113 Council action.

The Council will consider and act upon the Manager's recommended budget in accordance with the requirements of the Local Budget Law.

§ 2-114 Budget operation.

Budget appropriations shall be controlled by an encumbrance system which shall be recommended by the Chief Financial Officer and approved by the Manager. The Manager may establish quarterly or such other periodic allotments of appropriations as he/she 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 Manager.

§ 2-115 Contracts generally.

Within the limits of available appropriations, the Manager is authorized to negotiate contracts and other legally binding obligations for the Borough, subject to approval of the Council. Any such contractual document shall be signed by the Manager or the Mayor, attested by the Municipal Clerk, approved by the Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer as within an unencumbered and unexpended balance of appropriations therefor and approved by the Borough Attorney for legal form and sufficiency. Purchase order, for which a formal contract is not required by the charter, may be authorized by the Manager, within the limits of available appropriations.

§ 2-116 Awards of contracts.

Where contracts are let by competitive bidding pursuant to law, the Council shall be the Borough's contracting agent for the purposes of the Local Public Contracts Law. It shall award the contract in the manner prescribed by law and shall report thereon at its next meeting all such bids and awards.

§ 2-117 Audit, warrant and payment of bills and claims; listing.

All bills, claims and demands against the Borough shall be deemed approved or disapproved by the Council in accordance with the action of the Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer. A voucher on a form prescribed by the Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer and approved by the Manager shall be presented for each bill, claim or demand and shall be paid only upon the audit, warrant and approval of the Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer. Disbursement shall be made by a combination warrant-bank check warranted by the Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer and countersigned by the Manager, except that payroll checks may be signed by the Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer alone upon voucher and warrant of the Manager for a total payroll.

The Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer shall prepare for each regular meeting of the Council a list of all bills, claims and vouchers which have been paid by the 15th of each month.

Such list shall be filed with the Clerk as a public record open to examination in his/her office and he/she shall note such filing in his/her minutes together with a total of each listing.

§ 2-118 Central payroll; direct deposit.

[Amended 4-28-2020 by Ord. No. 2540-2020]

Salaries, wages and other compensation of all officers and employees shall be paid semimonthly. The head of each department shall certify to the Manager, at such times and in such form as he/she 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. Upon warrant of the Manager, the Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer shall complete a central payroll and prepare the necessary checks for signature.

As of March 16, 2020, mandatory direct deposit of net pay is established for all full- and part-time employees of the Borough of Fair Lawn, including seasonal employees, temporary employees and any person holding public office or position or employment whose compensation is paid by the Borough of Fair Lawn. Compensation shall be deposited directly into each employee's specific banking institution based upon information provided by the employee.

Volunteer emergency responder stipends and clothing allowances shall be provided through direct deposit. Compensation shall be deposited directly into each volunteer emergency responder’s specific banking institution based upon information provided by the volunteer emergency responder.

§ 2-119 Surety bonds.

Every officer or employee of the Borough who, by virtue of his/her office or position or of any law, is entrusted with the receipt, custody or expenditure of public moneys or funds of the Borough and any other officer or employee who may be required to do so by the Council shall, before entering upon the duties of his/her office or position, execute and deliver a surety bond in such amount as may be fixed by resolution of Council, binding him/her to the Borough in its corporate name and conditioned upon the true and faithful performance of his/her duty. Each officer or employee required by this section or otherwise to give bond shall execute such a bond with sufficient surety and file the same as provided in § 2-121 of the code.

In every case in which any person is required by the laws of the state or by this chapter or any other ordinance to give bond for the faithful performance of his/her duties, such bond shall be secured by a corporate surety authorized to do business in this state and the premium therefor shall be paid by the Borough.

If any officer or employee shall refuse or neglect to execute and deliver his/her bond as herein required within 30 days after due notification of election or appointment, his/her office may be declared vacant by the Borough Council.

§ 2-120 Public records.

All the books, maps, papers, accounts, statements, vouchers and other documents whatsoever acquired or produced in any department shall be carefully and conveniently filed, kept and preserved and be and remain the sole property of the Borough and shall not at any time be removed from the offices of such department except when required for use in official business and shall then be returned to such office without delay. Each department head shall be responsible for enforcing the requirements of this section in his/her department. This section shall be subject to the provisions of Destruction of Public Records Law (1953) (N.J.S.A. 47:3-15 et seq.).

In the event of removal from Borough premises, a duplicate shall remain with the appropriate Borough custodian unless in the discretion of the appropriate Borough custodian a duplicate is unnecessary or unduly prohibitive as to cost.

All public documents and records shall during office hours be open to public search, inspection and examination, subject to and within the limitations prescribed by law; and provided that such search, inspection and examination may be made under such regulations as the officer having custody of such records, books and documents shall establish for the safety and preservation thereof.

§ 2-121 Delivery of funds and records.

Upon the termination of the term of office or the employment of any officer or employee, he/she shall forthwith deliver to his/her successor or if there be no successor to the Clerk or other person who may be designated by the Manager to receive the same, all moneys, papers, books, memoranda, accounts and data of any nature whatever pertaining to his/her office.