[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the Borough of Chester 4-3-1980 as Sec. 2-9 of the 1980 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 7-18-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-04]
The Borough Administrator shall be the Purchasing
Official for the Borough and shall enforce written procedures for
all purchases. The Mayor and Council by resolution may also appoint
a licensed qualified purchasing agent (“QPA”) to oversee
the purchasing function. If the QPA is not the Borough Administrator,
the QPA shall be supervised by the Borough Administrator.
[Amended by Ord. No. 84-15; Ord. No. 90-10; Ord. No. 96-05]
A.
A purchase order must be issued for every item of
$25 or more.
B.
Purchases of less than $25 may be made without a purchase
order except as a matter of committee policy which would be specified
in writing for certain items. In this case, a form will be submitted
to the office for identification with future receiving slips and invoices.
C.
No invoice for $25 or more is to be honored by the
Borough without a purchase order on file.
D.
No purchase order will be issued without a written
requisition prepared by a department head. This requisition may indicate
preferred vendors and must indicate the budgetary distribution of
charges. Before a purchase order is issued, all requisitions for items
of value greater than $5,000 must be approved by the Mayor. All requisitions
for items of value between $500 and up to $5,000 must be approved
by the administrator prior to a purchase order being issued. Verbal
approvals may be obtained, with written approval of the requisition
being obtained later.
E.
It shall be the policy to obtain quotations, as provided
by statute, for any purchase which may exceed the threshold set by
N.J.S.A. 40A:11-6.1.
[Amended by Ord. No. 84-15]
A.
Any person claiming payment from the Borough shall
present a detailed bill or invoice of demand to the Borough Clerk,
duly certified by voucher, the form of which shall be specified by
the governing body from time to time.
B.
It shall be the duty of the purchase order officer
to certify on each claim voucher that the materials have been received
by or the services rendered to the Borough and shall provide the same
to the Chief Financial Officer who shall thereupon prepare for and
certify to the Mayor and Council a list of all vouchers submitted
to the Borough for payment. Such list shall contain sufficient information
so as to allow the Mayor and Council to act thereon.
C.
The Mayor and Council shall consider claims by review
of said certified list at a meeting of the Mayor and Council which
shall consider all claims as a whole. In the event that any individual
claims shall be rejected, the reason therefore, shall be set forth
in the minutes of the meeting at which same shall be considered. Disapproved
claims shall be referred back to the purchase order officer with instructions.
The minutes of meetings where claims are considered shall include
by attachment the certified list of vouchers from which shall be stricken
disapproved claims.
D.
The purchase order officer shall be authorized to
indicate on claim vouchers approval thereof pursuant to the minutes
of the Mayor and Council with the date of approval noted thereon and
to make payment of all claims so approved.
E.
It shall be the duty of the purchase order officer
to indicate on the claim vouchers that the claims have been approved
for payment, with the date of approval noted thereon.
A.
It shall be the duty of the Borough Clerk to record
all claims in the official minutes indicating that the Borough Council
has by formal action approved the same with appropriate record as
to any claims disapproved or rejected.
B.
After the purchase order officer 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 checks shall be signed by the Mayor and the
Borough Clerk and thereafter countersigned by the Treasurer. After
preparing checks for the payment of claims, he shall record them in
proper books of account and thereafter mail or otherwise distribute
the checks to the payees.
A.
There is hereby established a payroll account in the
Borough. At the first meeting of the Borough Council in January of
each year there shall be approved an account to be designated the
Borough of Chester payroll account, and from time to time the Treasurer,
upon receipt of a warrant for the amount due such payroll account,
shall deposit the same to the credit of the payroll account charging
the appropriate budgetary accounts therewith.
B.
The appropriate department heads or such officer or
employee as may be designated by resolution of the Borough Council,
shall certify to the Treasurer that the services as shown on the payroll
have been rendered and the amount specified is in fact due owing to
the employee or employees.
C.
At each monthly meeting of the Borough Council the
Treasurer shall submit for approval or ratification as the case may
be, the necessary payrolls for the amount due the several officers
and employees for compensation. The payroll shall be considered by
the Borough Council in due course and approved if found to be correct.
D.
The Treasurer shall thereafter draw checks entitled
to payment therefrom.
E.
In case of error or adjustment in the payroll, the
Treasurer shall, and it shall be his duty, to see that such error
or adjustment is properly corrected and appropriate record made thereof.
F.
In the case of reimbursement for actual and necessary
traveling expenses, itemized claims supported by receipts where available
should be presented in order to obtain reimbursement for expenses
incurred by local officials where authorized to travel by the Borough.