Township of Knowlton, NJ Chapter 14 Claims

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Knowlton 8-14-1978 as Sec. 2-3 of the Revised General Ordinances. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 14-1 Presentation of certified bill of demand and voucher.

Any person claiming payment from the Township 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 of a department head (or other Township 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 Knowlton, and that those services or goods are consistent with any existing contract or purchase order.

§ 14-2 Submission of bills and claims to Clerk; list provided to Township Committee.

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, and it shall be the duty of the Township Clerk to examine all bills and claims submitted for payment in order to ascertain if proper administrative procedures have been followed. All claims or bills to be considered by the Township Committee shall be listed systematically without preference, and the list shall be made available to every member of the Township Committee at least three full days prior to formal action by that body.

§ 14-3 Approval or rejection of claims.

Claims shall be considered by the Township Committee, which shall approve the same, 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.

§ 14-4 Clerk to record all claims; public inspection.

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 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.

§ 14-5 Preparation of checks; signatures required; distribution.

After the Township Clerk has certified that claims have been approved, he shall turn the same over to the Treasurer or other Chief Financial Officer, who shall forthwith prepare the necessary checks for the payment thereof, which checks shall be signed by the Mayor and thereafter signed by the Treasurer or other Chief Financial Officer. After preparing checks for the payment of claims, he shall record them in proper books of account and thereafter mail the checks to the claimants.