[HISTORY: Adopted by the Merchantville Borough Council 12-27-1976 as Ord. No. 515. Amendments noted where applicable.]
All bills or claims against the borough shall be in writing, fully itemized and duly certified by the person claiming payment that it is correct and must be presented on such voucher forms as provided by the borough.
[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter was adopted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1 et seq., as amended.
No claims, bills or demands shall be considered for payment unless the voucher or bill includes a certification by a designated borough employee, agent and/or Councilperson who may be accountable therefor that the goods were received in good order and that the services were satisfactorily rendered to the Borough of Merchantville, New Jersey, and that these goods and services are consistent with agreed-to specifications and price.
Any person claiming demand from the borough must present such duly certified claim (voucher) to the Borough Clerk on or before the Thursday preceding the second Monday of the month in order to be considered for approval/payment at the formal meeting of the Borough Council on the second Monday of each month, which shall be the only meeting during the month at which bills will be approved for payment. During December, bills will be approved for payment at each Borough Council meeting held on the second and fourth Mondays. In emergency situations, bills may be approved for payment at other formal meetings of the Borough Council upon a resolution approved by majority of the entire membership of the Borough Council.
It shall be the duty of the Borough Clerk to examine all bills or claims submitted for payment in order to ascertain if proper administrative procedures have been followed. Each such bill or claim shall then be carefully reviewed, checked and approved for budget charges and classification by or under the direction of the borough official or department head responsible for the budget item affected.
All purchases of goods and services resulting in claims for payment must adhere to the formally approved Rules of Council of the Borough of Merchantville. The Treasurer-Collector shall be responsible for auditing and making recommendations on all claims and bills.
A. 
Bills or claims previously approved by the respective department heads shall then be presented to the Director of Accounts and Auditing or, in his absence, the Director of Finance for review and approval. After such approval is given, the claims shall be filed with the Borough Treasurer who shall then present these claims to the Council at the regular formal meeting held on the second Monday of each month. (See § 18-3 of this chapter.)
B. 
Vouchers not approved by the Director of Accounts and Auditing will be discussed with the respective department director and, if need be, with the Council for resolution.
Vouchers (claims) shall be considered by the Council, which may approve the same, except that said Council may reject any claim presented to it, stating the reason for such rejection. Any tie vote may be broken by vote of the Mayor. Any rejected claim shall be referred back to the Borough Clerk with such instructions as the Council may give at the time of disapproval.
It shall be the duty of the Borough Clerk to record all claims in the official minutes, indicating that the governing body has by formal action approved the same, with appropriate records as to any claims disapproved or rejected. The Borough Treasurer shall record all claims in an appropriate claims register.
Authorization to issue the checks and pay the amount of approved vouchers shall be by resolution of the Borough Council. The Director of Accounts and Auditing or, in his absence, the Director of Finance shall sign a listing of all vouchers approved for payment indicating he has examined and approved same.
With regard to payroll, the appropriate department head or such other officer or employee as may be designated by resolution of the Council shall prepare the necessary time vouchers for all employees, which payroll shall be duly certified by the person authorized to certify that the services have been rendered and the amount specified is in fact due and owing to the employee. Said payroll, after approval by the department head responsible therefor, shall be paid in due course.
After the Clerk has certified that the claims have been approved, he shall turn the same over to the Treasurer (Collector) who shall forthwith prepare the necessary checks for the payment thereof, which checks shall be signed by the Mayor or, in his absence, the President of the Borough Council and thereafter signed by the Treasurer (Collector). After preparing checks for the payment of claims, he shall thereafter dispose the checks to the claimants.
All bills, vouchers and paid checks shall be filed in a safe place and be made available for public inspection whenever requested, but in the presence of a borough official.