Any person claiming payment from the City of Gloucester shall
first submit a detailed statement of the items or demand necessitating
such claim to the City Administrator, 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 City employee having personal knowledge of the facts that the
goods have been received by or the services rendered to the City of
Gloucester, and those services or goods are consistent with an existing
contract or purchase order. The Chief Financial Officer of City Administrator
shall have the duty to audit, warrant and make recommendations on
all claims and bills. The term "person" as used in this section shall
mean and include any individual, individuals, partnership or corporation.
The bill or claim, duly certified, shall be presented to the
City Administrator for inclusion in the proceedings of the next immediate
formal meeting of the Governing Body, and it shall be the duty of
the City Administrator or designee 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
to comprise the voucher list for each meeting.
Claims shall be considered by the Governing Body which shall
approve the same, except that the Governing Body may reject any claim
presented to it, stating the reason for such rejection. Any disapproved
claim shall be referred back to the City Administrator with such instructions
as the Governing Body may give at the time of its disapproval.
It shall be the duty of the City 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.
The Chief Financial Officer shall make disbursements upon receipt
of an order from the Governing Body. Each check shall be signed by
the Mayor and/or his designee and thereafter countersigned by the
Chief Financial Officer.
The Chief Financial Officer is hereby authorized to pay claims
to the Gloucester City Board of Education and the County of Camden
for taxes collected on their behalf in the amount approved by the
Governing Body, by write transfer from the Gloucester City bank account
to the respective agencies' bank accounts under Federal Reserve
Bank procedures.