Any person claiming payment from the Borough of Pemberton 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 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 Borough of Pemberton and that those services or goods are
consistent with any existing contract or purchase order. The chief financial
officer 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 agenda 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. (This review responsibility may be assigned
to the chief financial officer if desired.) 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 at
least three full days prior to formal action by that body.
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 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
record as to any claims disapproved or rejected. All records pertaining to
approved and disapproved bills or claims shall be available for public inspection.
After the Clerk has certified that the claims have been approved, he
shall turn the same over to the Treasurer or other chief financial officer,
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 or other chief financial officer. 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.