[Amended 9-15-1980; 12-19-1994; 7-1-1996]
In accordance with the City Charter, there shall
be a Department of Finance to be headed by the Director of Finance,
who shall have a bachelor's degree or higher in business administration,
with a major in accounting or a bachelor's degree or higher in an
appropriate allied field. The Director of Finance shall have five
years' experience in public finance. Said Department shall be responsible
for all financial matters of the City. Within the Department of Finance
there shall be the following divisions:
A.ย
Division of Purchasing, to be headed by the Purchasing
Agent pursuant to the Charter. In addition to such powers and duties
as it may be assigned by statute, the Charter, this chapter, other
legislation, the City Manager or the Director of Finance, the Division
of Purchasing shall be responsible for the following:
(1)ย
The promulgation of a purchasing procedure to be approved
by City Council. Any purchase or contract for purchasing, including
a continuing order or contract for the purchase of the same commodity
or service over a period of time, in excess of $4,000 shall be awarded
on sealed bids or proposals in conformance with the procedures set
forth in the Charter of the City of Meriden.
B.ย
Division of Property Assessment, to be headed by the
City Assessor. This Division shall have such powers and duties as
it may be assigned by statute, the Charter, this chapter, other legislation,
the City Manager or the Director of Finance.
C.ย
Division of Tax Collection, to be headed by the Tax
Collector. This Division shall have such powers and duties as it may
be assigned by statute, the Charter, this chapter, other legislation,
the City Manager or the Director of Finance.
D.ย
Division of the City Treasury, to be headed by the
City Treasurer. In addition to such powers and duties as it may be
assigned by statute, the Charter, this chapter, other legislation,
the City Manager or Director of Finance, the Division of the City
Treasury shall be responsible for the following:
(1)ย
Annually, no later than January 15, to set the value
of bonds for each City official with the approval of the City Council.
[Added 9-2-1997[1]]
A.ย
For the purposes of this section, "City-based business"
shall mean a business with its principal place of business located
within the boundaries of the City of Meriden. A business shall not
be considered a "City-based business" unless evidence satisfactory
to the Department of Finance has been submitted with each bid by said
business to establish that it has a bona fide principal place of business
in the City of Meriden. Such evidence may include evidence of ownership
of or a long-term lease of the real estate from which the principal
place of business is operated or payment of property taxes on the
personal property of the business.
B.ย
The Department of Finance shall determine the lowest
responsible bidder in the following order:
(1)ย
Any City-based business responsible bidder which has
submitted a bid not more than 10% higher than the low bid, provided
that such City-based business responsible bidder agrees to accept
the award of the bid at the amount of the lowest bid. The acceptance
shall be submitted in writing to the Department of Finance during
the next business day following the opening of the bid. If more than
one City-based business responsible bidder has submitted bids not
more than 10% higher than the lowest bid and has agreed to accept
the award of the bid at the amount of the lowest bid, the lowest responsible
bidder shall be that one of the City-based business responsible bidders
which has submitted the lowest bid. This subsection shall not apply
in those instances where the bid requested involves a cooperative
purchasing arrangement between the City of Meriden and other municipalities
or the State of Connecticut.
(2)ย
The low responsible bidder.
[Added 9-15-1997]
A.ย
For the purposes of this section "City-based business" shall have the same meaning as set forth in ยงย 3-14A.
B.ย
Purchases below the minimum expenditure amount requiring
sealed bids or written proposals shall be made from City-based businesses
whenever the price quoted by a City-based business is not more than
10% higher than the lowest price otherwise quoted. This subsection
shall not apply to purchases involving a cooperative purchasing arrangement
between the City of Meriden and other municipalities or the State
of Connecticut.
In accordance with the Charter and this chapter,
the City Council shall appoint and may remove the Director of Finance.
The City Manager shall appoint and may remove all division heads within
the Department of Finance, except as provided in the Charter.