Township of Lopatcong, NJ Chapter 7 Bills, Claims and Vouchers

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Lopatcong 6-1-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-13.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Petty cash account — See Ch. 43.

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance also superseded former Ch. 7, Bills, Claims and Voucher Approval, adopted 2-21-1990 by Ord. No. 1990-11 as Ch. 6 of the 1974 Code.

§ 7-1 Documentation of claim required.

Any person claiming payment from the Township of Lopatcong shall first submit a detailed statement of the items or demand necessitating such claim to the Chief Financial Officer, specifying particularly how the bill or demand is made up, and a certification from 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 of a department head or other municipal official responsible for certain functions 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 Township of Lopatcong and that those services and goods are consistent with any existing contract or purchase order. The Chief Financial Officer shall have the duty to audit, warrant and make recommendation on all claims and bills.

§ 7-2 Submission of claim to Township.

The bill or claim duly certified shall be presented to the Municipal Clerk for inclusion in the agenda of the next immediate formal meeting of the governing body, and it shall be the duty of the Chief Financial Officer 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 without preference, and said list shall be made available to every member of said governing body prior to formal action by that body.

§ 7-3 Consideration by Township Council.

Claims shall be considered by the finance committee and approved by the governing body, 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 Chief Financial Officer with such instructions as the governing body may give at the time of disapproval.

§ 7-4 Records.

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 record as to any claims disapproved or rejected. All records pertaining to approved and disapproved bills or claims shall be available for public inspection.

§ 7-5 Disbursements.

After the Chief Financial Officer has certified that the claims have been approved, she shall forthwith prepare the necessary checks (bank check or draft) for the payment thereof, which said checks shall be signed by the Mayor and Chief Financial Officer. After the checks have been prepared for the payment of claims, the Chief Financial Officer shall record them in proper books of account, and the checks shall thereafter be mailed to the claimants.