[HISTORY: Derived from § 2-7.7 of the 1972 Ocean
Codified Ordinances. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Any person claiming payment from the Township shall first submit
detailed statement of the items or such claim to the responsible executive
agency, specifying particularly how the bill or demand is made up,
and 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 included, a certification of department
head, or other Township official responsible for certain functions,
or of his/her duly designated representative, having personal knowledge
of the facts that the goods have been received by, or the services
rendered to the Township, 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 Township
Clerk for inclusion in the agenda of the next immediate formal meeting
of the Township Committee. 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 Township Committee shall be listed
systematically without preference and such list shall be made available
to every member of the Township Committee at least three full days
prior to formal action by that body.
Claims shall be considered by the Township Committee which shall
approve such, except that the Township Committee may reject any claim
presented to it stating the reason for such rejection. Any disapproved
claim shall be referred back to the Township Clerk with such instructions
as the Township Committee may give at the time of disapproval.
It shall be the duty of the Township Clerk to record all claims
in the official minutes or through an appropriate claims register,
indicating that the Township Committee has by formal action approved
such 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 them over to the Treasurer, or other Chief Financial
Officer, who shall forthwith prepare the necessary checks for the
payment thereof. Such checks shall be signed by the Mayor and the
Clerk and thereafter signed by the Treasurer or the 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.
