Any person claiming payment from the Township
of Union in the County of Union 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 municipal 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 Union in the County
of Union, and that those services or goods are consistent with any
existing contract or purchase order. The Township Treasurer shall
have the duty to audit, warrant and make recommendations on all claims
and bills.
[Amended 4-10-1979 by Ord. No. 3366]
A. The bill or claim
duly certified shall be presented to the Township Treasurer for inclusion
on the claims list, which said claims list may be submitted to any
regular or special meeting of the governing body. It shall be the
duty of the Township Treasurer to examine all bills or claims submitted
for payment in order to ascertain if proper administrative procedures
have been followed. All vouchers should reflect the approval of the
Township Treasurer and also the approval of the Purchasing Agent,
where a purchase order was required to be issued. All claims or bills
to be considered by the governing body shall be listed systematically
without preference, and said list shall be made available to every
member of said governing body prior to formal action by that body.
The claims on the claims list shall be reviewed by the Municipal Administrator,
and such list shall reflect his approval before submission for the
consideration of the governing body.
B. In the event that
any voucher claimant is a person that is in a position that would
authorize him to certify or approve any voucher, then and in that
event authority is hereby given for not including said voucher on
the claims list, in which event said voucher shall be presented to
the Township Committee in due course at any regular or special meeting
of the governing body for approval by at least a majority of the members
of said Township Committee.
Claims on the claims list shall be considered
by the governing body, which shall approve such list, except that
said governing body may reject any claim presented to it stating the
reason for such rejection. Any disapproved claim shall be referred
back to the Township Treasurer with such instructions as the governing
body may give at the time of disapproval.
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 governing body has by formal
action approved the same with the 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.
[Amended 4-10-1979 by Ord. No. 3366]
After the Clerk has certified that the claims
list or individual vouchers, as above authorized, have been approved
by at least a majority of the members of the Township Committee, she
shall turn the same over to the Township Treasurer, who shall forthwith
prepare the necessary checks for the payment thereof, which said checks
shall be signed by the Chairman of the Township Committee, the Township
Clerk and thereafter signed by the Township Treasurer. 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.