[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township
of Chester 12-2-1974 by Ord. No. 3:1-74. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Any person claiming payment from the Township of Chester 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 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 Chester, 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
business 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/she 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/she shall record
them in proper books of account and thereafter mail the checks to
the claimants.
