Any person claiming payment from the Borough
of Runnemede 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 includes) a certification from a designated Borough employee,
having personal knowledge of the facts that the goods have been received
by or the services rendered to the Borough of Runnemede, and that
those services or goods are consistent with an existing contract or
purchase order. The Treasurer-Collector 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 proceedings 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. A list shall be made available to every member of said governing
body prior to formal action by that body.
Claims shall be considered by the Council which
shall approve the same, except that said governing body may reject
any claim presented to it, stating the reason for such rejection.
Any tie votes may be broken by vote of the Mayor. 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 records as to any claims
disapproved or rejected. All records pertaining to approved or disapproved
bills or claims shall be available for public inspection.
The Treasurer shall make disbursements upon
receipt of an order by the Borough Council, attested by the Borough
Clerk. In the event that the Mayor vetoes the payment of any claim
or bill, the Treasurer may be authorized to make payment by a vote
of the Borough Council whereby at least 2/3 of all the Councilmen
vote to override such veto of any claim or bill.
After the Clerk 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 said checks shall be signed by the Mayor and thereafter signed
by the Treasurer. 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.
[Added 10-7-2003 by Ord. No. 03-8]
A. The following categories of claims are hereby exempted
from the procedures in this chapter: refunds authorized by resolutions,
bank disbursements, insurance disbursements, tax disbursements, pension
disbursements, utility disbursements, petty cash disbursements, postmaster
disbursements, public assistance disbursements, miscellaneous allowances
and other bills and monthly contractual disbursements.
B. The Municipal Chief Finance Officer is hereby authorized and is designated as the certifying and approval officer of the claims described in Subsection
A above, with the verbal consent of the Mayor and Director of Finance, and will make payment on checks drawn on the municipality to be signed by the Mayor, Municipal Clerk and countersigned by the Treasurer, or their respective designees, in a timely fashion without the benefit of the governing body's approval.
C. The Municipal Chief Finance Officer, acting in his
or her capacity as the certifying and approval officer of the above
claims, shall prepare and execute a certification that there exists
proper and sufficient appropriations for their payment, that he or
she has determined that there is a legal authority for the payment
and that he or she is satisfied that the goods or services ordered
have been received. Said certification shall be affixed to the claims
for payment.