a.
Fiscal year. The fiscal year of the City shall commence July 1st
each year and end the following June 30th.
b.
Annual audit. All the accounts of the City shall be audited at least
once during each fiscal year by the City auditor.
c.
Annual post audit. Each year the City shall have a post audit of
its accounts of the last fiscal year by the State Department of Audit
or by a qualified public accountant.
Non-budgeted or non-emergency appropriations in excess of $300,000
shall go to a special public hearing for approval.
a.
Fiscal accounts. The fiscal accounts of the City shall be kept by
the Treasurer showing the financial transactions of all departments
of the City.
b.
Accounting system. The accounting records of the City shall be kept
in conformity with generally accepted principles of municipal accounting
and a uniform classification shall be used for revenue, expenditures
and balance sheet accounts. The accounting forms shall be prescribed
by the City Manager and shall be kept to show, at all times, the financial
condition of the City.
c.
Report of Treasurer. Prior to the regular meeting of the City Council,
the Treasurer shall furnish the City Manager a detailed report of
the receipts and disbursements on all accounts, the expenditure made
and obligations incurred during the preceding calendar month and a
balance sheet showing the financial condition of the City, of the
several funds, and the unexpended account balance of each department.
a.
Treasurer's warrant. The disbursement of money shall be paid
out by the City Treasurer only on warrant upon the City Treasury issued
by the City Manager.
b.
Examination by Accounts Payable Auditor. The Accounts Payable Auditor
shall examine all payrolls, bills, invoices and other claims and demands
upon the City, and shall not authorize any item for payment upon the
Treasurer's warrant until it has been validated, correctly computed
and legally authorized.
c.
Validity of a claim. The City Manager or City Auditor may require
any claimant to make oath to the validity of a claim, may investigate
any claim and for such purpose or purposes may examine witnesses under
oath.
All moneys paid to the City or received by any municipal officials,
employee or agent of the City for, or in connection with, the business
of the City shall be paid into the City Treasury and shall be deposited
with such banking depositories as the Council may determine. All interest
from deposits shall accrue to the benefit of the City.
The City Council shall require bonds, with sufficient sureties
from all persons entrusted with the collection, custody, or disbursement
of the public's moneys.
a.
Administrative officers. Each of the administrative officers, department
heads, and boards shall annually submit to the City Manager a report
of the transactions, activities, of their departments for the year.
b.
Annual report. From the reports submitted by the various municipal
officials, the City Manager shall prepare and publish an annual report
which in addition to a summary of the services performed by the various
departments, shall show the following:
Not later than one month before the end of the fiscal year,
the City Manager shall submit to the City Council a proposed budget
for the ensuing fiscal year, which shall be compiled from information
furnished by the administrative officers, department heads and boards,
on forms which may be designated by the City Manager. The proposed
budget shall contain:
a.
A budget message which shall explain the budget in fiscal terms and
in terms of service and work programs.
b.
An exact statement of the financial condition of the City.
c.
Itemized statement of appropriations recommended for current expenditures
and a five-year Capital Improvement Program detailed by departments,
office, special services, boards or agencies in terms of the respective
programs. The Capital Improvement Program shall include:
(1)
A clear general summary of its contents;
(2)
A list of all capital improvements and other capital expenditures
which are proposed to be undertaken during the five fiscal years ensuing,
with appropriate supporting information as to the necessity for each;
(3)
Cost estimates and recommended time schedules for each improvement
or other capital expenditures;
(4)
Method of financing, upon which each capital expenditure is
to be reliant; and
(5)
The estimated annual cost of operating and maintaining facilities
to be constructed or acquired.
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The above shall be revised and extended each year with regard
to capital improvements still pending or in process of construction
or acquisition.
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Each recommended appropriation shall be accompanied, in parallel
columns, with comparative statements of budget expenditures for the
current fiscal year.
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d.
Itemized statement of estimated revenue from all sources other than
taxation; and a statement of taxes required, with comparative estimated
figures and actual receipts from the current fiscal year.
e.
Such other budget information as may be required by the City Council.
a.
Review by the Council. The City Council shall review the proposed
budget as submitted by the City Manager at budget meetings established
by the Council.
b.
Amending the budget. During the review of the proposed budget, the
City Council may adopt the budget with or without amendment, or it
may add or increase budget programs or amounts and may delete or decrease
any programs or amount, except expenditures required by law or for
debt service.
c.
Public hearing and publication of the budget. The City Council shall
set a date, time and place for a public hearing on the budget which
shall be not later than seven days prior to the date set for final
passage of the appropriation resolve. A notice of the public hearing
together with a summary of the budget shall be published in at least
one newspaper of general circulation in the City at least seven days
prior to the public hearing.
d.
Annual appropriation resolve. Not later than one month after the
beginning of the fiscal year the Council shall pass an annual appropriation
resolve, which shall be based on the budget submitted by the City
Manager and adopted by the City Council.
e.
Interim appropriation. Before the annual appropriation resolve has
been passed, the City Council may make appropriations to the various
departments and accounts in amounts sufficient to finance the necessary
expenses until the appropriation resolve is in force.
f.
Overspending of appropriations prohibited. No payment shall be made
or obligation incurred against any allotment or appropriation except
in accordance with appropriations duly made and unless the City Manager
or his designee first certifies that there is a sufficient unencumbered
balance in such allotment or appropriation and that sufficient funds
therefrom are or will be available to cover the claim or meet the
obligation when it becomes due and payable. Any authorization of payment
or incurring of obligation in violation of the provisions of this
Charter shall be void and any payment so made illegal. A violation
of this provision shall be cause for removal of any officer who knowingly
authorized or made such payment or incurred such obligation. Such
officer shall also be liable to the City for any amount so paid, except
where prohibited by law, however, nothing in this Charter shall be
construed to prevent the making or authorizing of payments or making
of contracts for capital improvements to be financed wholly or partly
by the issuance of bonds or to prevent the making of any contract
or lease providing for payment beyond the end of the fiscal year,
but only if such action is made or approved by ordinance.
The City Council, in the appropriation resolve, shall provide
for a reserve fund from which transfers may be made at the end of
the fiscal year, by vote of the City Council, to cover overdrafts
in any fund. After all warrants have been paid, any unexpended balance
or balances in any fund, excepting in school and public library funds,
shall be transferred to the reserve fund.
The borrowing of money by and for the City of Belfast shall
be subject to the provisions of sections 11, 12 and 13 of this Article.
The credit of the City shall in no manner be loaned or used in the
aid of any individual, association or corporation.
Money may be borrowed, with the limits fixed by the Constitution
and Statutes of the State, as amended, by the issue and sale of bonds
or serial notes, pledged on the credit of the City, the proceeds to
be used for the acquisition of land, the construction and equipment
of building, and other public improvements, the acquisition of equipment,
and the payment or refunding of bonds, notes and certificates of indebtedness
previously issued, or for any other purpose for which municipalities
are or hereafter may be authorized to borrow money by general law,
provided that no bonds or serial notes shall be issued for plans or
other preliminary expenses in connection with a public improvement
unless they are issued at the same time as bonds or serial notes to
finance the improvement for which such expenses were incurred. No
order providing for the issue of bonds or serial notes shall be passed
without public notice given by posting notice of the same in two public
places in the City of Belfast and publishing said notice in at least
one newspaper of general circulation in the City of Belfast, at least
two weeks before final action by the City Council, and final adoption
by affirmative vote of at least 4/5 of all the voting members of the
City Council. Every issue of bonds, or serial notes shall be payable
within a fixed term of years, in the case of bonds or serial notes
issued for a public improvement or equipment for which they are issued
as determined by the City Council and embodied in the order authorizing
the issue, and in no case to exceed 30 years. Authorized issues of
bonds or serial notes shall be payable in annual installments, and
every order for the issue of bonds or serial notes, shall provide
for a tax levy for each year of an amount necessary to meet the payment
of the annual installment of principal and interest, and such amounts
shall be included in the tax levy for each year until the debt is
extinguished.
Money may be borrowed in anticipation of receipts from taxes
during any fiscal year, but the aggregate amount of such loans outstanding
at any time shall not exceed 80% of the revenue from taxes received
during the preceding fiscal year. All such loans shall be paid out
of the receipts from taxes for the fiscal year in which they are issued,
but shall nevertheless be general obligations of the City. Money may
also be borrowed in anticipation of the receipts of proceeds from
authorized issues of bonds or notes, and shall be subject to the laws
of the State in relation thereto.
Money may be borrowed by the issuance and sale of revenue bonds
in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Revised Statutes
relating thereto as the same may from time to time be amended.
