The fiscal year of the Township shall be the calendar year.
After 1984 the Board may, by ordinance, adopt a different fiscal year,
specifying an orderly transition procedure for financial and budgetary
controls.
The Board shall provide in the Administrative Code a uniform
classification of accounts for all financial plans, budgets and financial
reports.
The Board shall provide in the Administrative Code procedures
for the receipt, deposit and accounting by the Finance Director of
all taxes, fees and other monies due and received by the Township.
The Board shall designate the depositories for Township receipts.
The Township may make contracts for lawful purposes subject
to this Charter or general law. No contract shall be made or obligation
incurred unless the Finance Director shall certify to the Board and
Manager that there is a sufficient unencumbered balance in an appropriation
and that sufficient monies therefrom are or will be available to cover
the claim or meet the obligation when it becomes due and payable.
Any contract made or obligation incurred in violation of this provision
shall be void, and any Supervisor or employee authorizing such contract
shall be subject to removal and be liable to the Township or its surety
for any loss incurred. The Board shall provide in the Administrative
Code the procedures for letting contracts which shall not be inconsistent
with this Charter or general law and shall include as a minimum the
following:
a.
Contracts
of the Township involving sums in excess of an amount from time to
time specified by the Board by ordinance shall be in writing, shall
be subject to competitive bidding, and shall be executed by the Chairman
of the Board. The Manager may enter into and execute all other contracts
on behalf of the Township. All written contracts shall be reviewed
and approved by the Solicitor before execution. Contracts for the
purchase, sale, lease or use of real property, or for the construction
of public capital improvements shall be authorized by ordinance.
b.
A
procedure for competitive bidding to include definitions, publication
and notice requirements, deposit and bond requirements, conditions,
terms, rules, regulations, waivers, rights of acceptance and rejection,
and exceptions as it shall from time to time deem advisable and in
accordance with this Charter and general law.
c.
Competitive
bidding shall not be required for:
1.
Contracts for labor or services rendered by any person in their capacity
as Township employee;
2.
Contracts for labor, material, supplies or services aggregating less
than the amount from time to time specified by the Board by ordinance
for the item in the year supplied;
3.
Contracts relating to the acquisition or use of real property;
4.
Contracts for professional or unique services or supplies;
5.
Contracts for policies of insurance or surety company bonds, except
that the use of competitive bidding or proposals for such items shall
be encouraged where practical;
6.
Contracts for emergency repairs; and
7.
Contracts with other governmental entities, agencies, authorities
or political subdivisions.
d.
No
contract subject to competitive bidding shall be authorized on behalf
of the Township except with the lowest responsible bidder.
e.
No
person shall evade the competitive bidding provisions of this Charter
by purchasing or contracting in multiple transactions for the purpose
of obtaining prices under the amount specified by the Board for competitive
bidding when such transactions should, in the exercise of reasonable
discretion and prudence, be conducted or considered as one transaction.
The Board shall authorize disbursement of Township monies in
discharge of Township obligations lawfully incurred after determining
that all goods and services contracted for have actually been received
or performed. The Board shall provide in the Administrative Code for
procedures for the signing and countersigning of all checks, drafts
or other orders of payment by two persons.
The Finance Director shall:
a.
Prepare
and maintain a record of all financial transactions of the Township
as prescribed by the Board in the Administrative Code. These records
shall be kept at the Township Office and shall be available for public
inspection.
b.
Prepare
financial reports at least monthly, annually and at such other times
as the Manager may direct. The said reports shall be submitted to
the Board at its regular meetings and made available to the public.
c.
Prepare
a quarterly review of the income and expenditures of the annual budget.
Such report shall be presented publicly at a regular meeting of the
Board.
The Board shall provide for an independent annual audit of Township
receipts, expenditures accounts and reports by a Pennsylvania certified
public accountant or a firm of such accountants, experienced in municipal
finance, having no personal interest, direct or indirect, in the fiscal
affairs of the Township or any of its elected or appointed personnel
or employees. The Board may provide for more frequent audits at its
discretion. The results of the annual audit and a financial statement
of the fiscal affairs of the Township, together with any recommendations
thereon, shall be included in the annual report of the Manager, and
a summary thereof shall be published at least once in one or more
newspapers of general circulation in the Township within 120 days
after the close of the fiscal year.
The Board shall provide in the Administrative Code for the bonding
of all officers and employees who are responsible for the handling
and/or authorization of receipts, disbursements, materials or supplies.
All such bonding shall be approved by the Solicitor for form and sufficiency.
The premium for such bonding shall be paid by the Township.
The borrowing of money by the Township shall be limited in amounts
and governed by procedures in the Local Government Unit Debt Act (Act
185 of 1972), as amended, or general law.
