Township of Liberty, NJ Claims, Payment of

Any person claiming payment from the Township of Liberty shall first submit a detailed statement of the items or demand necessitating such claim to the Chief Financial Officer, specifying particularly how the bill or demand is made up, and a certification of the party claiming payment that said claim 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 Liberty and that those services or goods are consistent with any existing contract or purchase order. The Treasurer shall have the duty to audit, warrant and make recommendations on all claims and bills.

§ 7-2 Powers and duties of Chief Financial Officer; referral of list to governing body.

[Amended 4-4-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-003]

The bill or claim, duly certified shall be presented to the Chief Financial Officer for inclusion in the agenda of the next immediate formal meeting of the governing body, and it shall be the duty of the Chief Financial Officer to examine all bills or claims submitted for payment in order to ascertain if proper administrative procedures have been followed.

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 days prior to formal action by that body.

§ 7-3 Approval and disapproval by governing body.

[Amended 4-4-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-003]

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 Chief Financial Officer with such instructions as the governing body may give at the time of disapproval.

§ 7-4 Maintenance of records.

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.

§ 7-5 Preparation, recording and mailing of checks.

[Amended 4-4-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-003]

After the Chief Financial Officer has certified that the claims have been approved, the Chief Financial Officer shall forthwith prepare the necessary checks for the payment thereof. All Township checks (including payroll checks) require three manual signatures from the following:

(1)

Mayor.

(2)

Chief Financial Officer.

(3)

Municipal Clerk.

After preparing checks for the payment of claims, the Chief Financial Officer shall record them in proper books of account and thereafter mail the checks to the claimants.

Article II Insurance Claims

[Adopted 4-8-1999 by Ord. No. 99-1]

§ 7-6 Restrictions on payment of fire insurance claims.

No insurance company writing and issuing fire insurance policies in the Township of Liberty, Warren County, New Jersey, shall make any payment on said policy, or policies issued or renewed, after the effective date of this article, to any claimant on claims in excess of $2,500 for fire damages on any real property located within the Township of Liberty until such time as:

Anticipated demolition costs and all taxes and assessments together with all other liens or charges due and payable appearing on the official certificate of search; or

All taxes and assessments and all other municipal liens or charges due and payable, appearing on the official certificate of search, shall have been paid either by the owner of such real property or by the insurance company; or

The Township of Liberty shall submit to the insurance company a resolution confirming an agreement with the owner of any fire damaged property to pay in full all delinquent taxes, assessments or other municipal liens by installments pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:5-19, or for the redemption of the tax sale lien by installment payments pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:5-65, or for the payment in full of any anticipated costs of demolition by installment.

§ 7-7 Statutory rights retained.

Nothing in this article shall preclude the insurance company from any rights granted to it pursuant to N.J.S.A. 17:36-10.