Any person claiming payment from the Borough of Lindenwold 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 service has been rendered to the Borough of Lindenwold and
that those services or goods are consistent with an existing contract
or purchase order. The Chief Financial Officer or Borough Administrator
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 Chief Financial Officer or Borough Administrator 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
and without preference, and said 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 Borough Council, which shall
approve the same, except that if said governing body rejects any claim
presented to it, it shall state the reason for such rejection. Any
disapproved claim shall be referred back to the Chief Financial Officer
or Borough Administrator 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 approval or disapproval of bills or claims
shall be available for public inspection.
The Chief Financial Officer shall make the disbursements upon
receipt of an order by the governing body, attested by the Borough
Clerk. In the event that the Mayor vetoes the payment of any claims
or bills, the Chief Financial Officer may be authorized to make payment
by a vote of the governing body whereby at least 2/3 of Council shall
vote to override such veto of any claim or bill.
After the Clerk has certified that the claims have been approved,
the Municipal Clerk shall turn the same over to the Chief Financial
Officer or designee, 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 Municipal Clerk and the Chief Financial
Officer or designee. After preparing checks for the payment of claims,
the checks shall be recorded in the proper books of accounts and thereafter
mailed to the claimants.