[Amended 7-26-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-09]
Any person claiming payment from the Borough of Neptune City
shall first submit a detailed statement of the items or demand necessitating
such claim to the Borough, specifying particularly how the bill or
demand is made up, and a certification of the party claiming payment
is correct. The certification requirement shall not apply to any claims
for $1,000 or less, unless such claim is for reimbursement of employee
expenses, or for services provided exclusively and entirely by an
individual, in which case this exemption is inapplicable. No bill,
claim or demand shall be considered for payment unless the voucher
has attached to it or includes a certification of a designated Borough
employee, or other municipal official responsible for certain functions,
or of his/her duly designated representative, having personal knowledge
of the facts that the goods have been received by or the services
rendered to the Borough, and that those services or goods are consistent
with any existing contract or purchase order. The Treasure (Collector)
shall have the duty to audit, warrant and make recommendations on
all claims and bills.
The bill or claim, duly certified, shall be presented to the
Municipal Clerk for inclusion in the proceedings of the next immediate
formal meeting of the governing body, and it shall be the duty of
the Clerk 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, and said list shall
be made available to every member of said governing body at least
three full days prior to formal action by that body.
Claims shall be considered by the Council, which shall approve
the same, except that said governing body may reject any claim presented
to it, stating the reason for such rejection. Any tie votes may be
broken by the vote of the Mayor. Any disapproved claim shall be referred
back to the Municipal Clerk with such instructions as the governing
body may give at the time of disapproval.
It shall be the duty of the Municipal 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.
All records pertaining to approved or disapproved bills or claims
shall be available for public inspection.
The Treasurer (Collector) shall make disbursements upon receipt
of an order by Borough Council, attested by the Borough Clerk. If
in the event that the Mayor vetoes the payment of any claims or bills,
the Treasurer (Collector) may be authorized to make payment by a vote
of the Borough Council whereby at least 2/3 of all the Councilmen
vote to override such veto of any claim or bill.
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
said checks shall be signed by the Mayor and thereafter signed by
the Treasurer (Collector). 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.