[Ord. No. 2944 § 8, 7-8-1974]
The Department of Finance shall be headed by the Director of
Finance. The Director shall have a degree in accounting, business
administration or public administration or shall be registered under
the laws of the State of Missouri as a certified public accountant.
The Director of Finance shall be charged with administering
the financial affairs of the City. It shall be his duty to:
(1) Maintain a general accounting system, keep books and provide budgetary
controls for the City, and each of its departments, agencies and offices;
keep separate accounts for each category of appropriations contained
in the City budget, showing the amount of the appropriation, the amounts
paid therefrom, all unpaid obligations against it and the unencumbered
balance.
(2) Supervise and be responsible for the disbursement of all monies of
the City and exercise control over all expenditures to insure that
budget appropriations are not exceeded. To this end, he shall be required
to:
(a)
Certify, before any contract, order or other document is executed
by which the City would incur financial obligation, that the expenditure
is within the purpose of the appropriation and that there is a sufficient
unencumbered balance in the appropriation account to pay same;
(b)
Prescribe the forms of all financial records, receipts, vouchers,
bills and claims to be used by all City departments, agencies and
offices;
(c)
Audit and approve before payment all bills, invoices, payrolls
and other claims and issue checks for the payment of all such valid
claims;
(d)
Inspect and audit any accounts or records of financial transactions
and require financial reports from any City department, agency or
office at such intervals as he may deem appropriate.
(3) Collect or provide for the collection of all taxes, special assessments,
fees, charges, amounts and claims due to the City from any source
whatsoever and receive from each department, agency or office of the
City any monies collected by it.
(4) Have custody of all funds under the control of the City and deposit
or invest such funds as directed by the Council.
(5) Submit to the Council through the Mayor a monthly statement of all
receipts and disbursements in such detail as to describe fully and
clearly the financial condition of the City.
(6) Assist the Mayor in the preparation of the annual budget.
(7) Provide for an annual independent audit of all of the financial transactions
and accounts of the City to be made at the close of each fiscal year
by a certified public accountant which shall be submitted to the Council
no later than forty-five (45) days after the close of each fiscal
year.
There shall be within the Department of Finance a Purchasing Officer, who shall be appointed by the Mayor. Pursuant to rules and regulations prescribed by ordinance, the Purchasing Officer shall supervise and be responsible for the purchase, storage and distribution of all supplies, materials and equipment required by any department, agency or office of the City government and shall establish procedures for the inspection, inventory, control and transfer of all such supplies, materials and equipment. The Purchasing Officer shall also be responsible for securing all contractual or personal services required by any department, agency or office of the City government except for contracts for public improvements provided for in Article
IX of this Charter and those professional services which are in their nature unique and not subject to competitive bidding.
[ Ord. No. 2944 § 9, 7-8-1974; Ord. No. 3858 § 1, 9-22-1980]
All contracts providing for payment in excess of five hundred
dollars ($500.00) but not in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00)
for purchases of supplies, materials or contractual services shall
be made with the lowest and best bidder after at least three (3) competitive
bids have been taken. All contracts providing for payment in excess
of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for the purchase of supplies,
materials or contractual services shall be made with the lowest and
best bidder after due public notice inviting sealed bids. Bids shall
be opened at the time and place designated in the notice, and the
opening of said bids shall be public. The Council may not except specific
contracts, purchases or sales from the requirement of competitive
bidding nor shall purchases be parceled or divided to avoid the intent
of this Section.
The fiscal year of the City shall begin on the first day of
December and shall end on the last day of November of the succeeding
year, unless otherwise provided by ordinance. Such fiscal year shall
also constitute the budget and accounting year.
The Mayor, with the assistance of the Director of Finance, shall
submit to the Council a budget, together with an explanatory message,
no less than sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the fiscal
year. The budget shall provide a complete financial plan for the budget
year and shall be prepared in such form as may be provided by ordinance
and in accordance with accepted privileges of municipal budgeting.
Upon receipt of the budget and supporting message, the Council
shall determine the time and place for a public hearing thereon and
shall cause to be published a notice of such hearing, which shall
be held no less than seven (7) days after publication of such notice.
All interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be heard.
After the conclusion of the public hearing, the Council may
increase, decrease, add or delete items in said budget, except for
expenditures fixed by law, provided that the total proposed expenditures
shall not exceed the total anticipated revenues.
The budget shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority
of the members of the Council not later than three (3) days prior
to the end of each respective fiscal year. Should the Council take
no final action by this date, the budget as submitted shall be deemed
to have been finally adopted.
Upon final adoption, the budget shall be certified by the Mayor
and filed in the office of the Director of Finance. Copies of the
budget shall be printed and distributed for use by all City officials,
agencies and offices and shall be available to all citizens and interested
parties.
[ Ord. No. 2944 § 10, 7-8-1974]
Simultaneously with the final adoption of the budget, the Council
shall adopt an appropriations ordinance approving the expenditures
provided in the budget. If such ordinance is not adopted so that it
can be in effect on the first day of the fiscal year, the expenditures
in the budget shall be deemed appropriated to the several departments,
agencies and offices for the purposes specified in the budget.
At the commencement of each budget year, the head of each City
department, agency and office shall submit to the Mayor a schedule
designating the proposed monthly allotment of the budget appropriations
provided for such department, agency and office. The Mayor shall review
the proposed allotments and may revise or alter such allotments before
approving same. A copy of the approved allotments shall be filed with
the Director of Finance, who shall authorize expenditures only in
accordance with such approved allotments, and not otherwise. Allotments
may be revised during the budget year in the same manner as provided
for original allotments.
A transfer of an appropriation from one budget account to another
may be made only upon authorization by the Council. All appropriations
shall lapse at the end of the budget year to the extent that they
will not have been spent or lawfully encumbered.
The City may issue its negotiable bonds in evidence of indebtedness
incurred for any purpose authorized by this Charter and for any purpose
for which any City is authorized to incur indebtedness under the constitution
and statutes of this state. If, under the constitution and statutes
of the state, an election is required to authorize the issuance of
any bonds, same shall be conducted and the results declared as provided
by ordinance consistent with the requirements of the constitution
and statutes. All bonds shall be sold at public sale upon sealed proposals.
At least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of sale, the Director
of Finance shall give notice of same by publication in a newspaper
of general circulation in St. Louis County and in addition shall mail
notices to parties and financial institutions which may be interested
in the purchase of such bonds.