There shall be a Department of Finance, the head of which shall be the City Comptroller. Prior to his appointment, the Comptroller shall be qualified by training and at least five years of experience in a responsible position in municipal or corporate finance.
The Director, subject to the direction and supervision of the Mayor, shall:
A. 
Be the chief financial officer of the City.
B. 
Account for and preaudit and control all City revenues and expenditures.
C. 
Prescribe, install and enforce a uniform system of accounts, including forms, standards and procedures, for the use of all departments of the City government and of all agencies expending City funds.
D. 
Be responsible for the safety and investment of the City's funds; the management of the City's debt; the development of financial policies for recommendations to the Mayor and the safeguarding of the City's financial interests to the fullest extent.
E. 
Be the certifying agent for the Public Employees Retirement System of New Jersey: Consolidated Police and Firemen's Pension Fund of New Jersey; Police and Firemen's Retirement System of New Jersey; Old Age and Survivors Insurance System; hospitalization, medical, surgical and major medical group insurance plans for employees; withholding taxes; United States savings bonds; employees unions and United Fund appeals.
F. 
Have custody of all investments and invested funds of the City or in its possession in a fiduciary capacity, except as otherwise provided by law, and have the safekeeping of all bonds and notes for transfer, registration or exchange, invest or deposit all moneys not required for current operation in interest-bearing accounts as may be approved by the Comptroller.
Within the Department of Finance, there shall be a Division of Accounts and Control. Under the direction and supervision of the Director, the Division shall:
A. 
Maintain and operate the City's central bookkeeping and accounting records according to sound accounting principles and in accordance with the requirements of the Directors of the State Division of Local Government Service.
B. 
Audit all receipts and disbursements of the City government and of each of its departments and preaudit all bills, claims and demands against the City, including payrolls, and require each department head to certify that any materials, supplies or equipment have been received and accepted as specified and that the services have been duly rendered.
C. 
Control all expenditures to assure that budget appropriations are not exceeded and maintain such books and records as may be required for the proper exercise of such budgetary control.
D. 
Review each proposed expenditure and commitment to be made on behalf of any department for conformity with state law, the Charter and ordinances of the City and authorize only such expenditures and commitments as conform with all the requirements of the Administrative Code.
E. 
Install, operate and maintain a central payroll system and all social security, pension and insurance records for personnel of all departments.
F. 
Submit a monthly report of expenditures and balances to the City Council and Mayor.
Within the Department of Finance, there shall be a Division of the Treasury in which there shall be a Treasurer and a City Tax Collector, who shall be appointed for the term prescribed by law for municipal tax collectors.
A. 
Duties of the Treasurer. Within the Division of the Treasury, subject to the direction and supervision of the Director, the Treasurer shall:
(1) 
Receive, collect and disburse City funds.
(2) 
Keep and maintain books and records of all cash transactions of the City in accordance with the standards and requirements of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of the Treasury of the State of New Jersey.
(3) 
Have custody of all public moneys of the City and make monthly reports to the Director of Finance of all receipts and expenditures.
(4) 
Be the certifying agent for the Public Employees Retirement System of New Jersey Consolidated Police and Fireman's Pension Fund of New Jersey; Police and Firemen's Retirement System of New Jersey; Old Age and Survivors Insurance System; hospitalization, medical, surgical and major medical group insurance plans for employees; withholding taxes; United States savings bonds; employees unions, and United Fund appeals.
(5) 
Have custody of all investments and invested funds of the City or in its possession in a fiduciary capacity, except as otherwise provided by law, and have the safekeeping of all bonds and notes for transfer, registration or exchange, invest or deposit all moneys not required for current operation in interest-bearing accounts as may be approved by the Comptroller.
B. 
Duties of the Tax Collector. Within the Division of the Treasury, subject to the direction and supervision of the Director, the Tax Collector shall:
(1) 
Receive and collect all moneys assessed or raised by taxation or assessment for any purpose; keep proper records and report to the Director at least once a month all receipts and; deposits made by the Division and, in such report, account for all moneys for which it is responsible.
(2) 
Have, exercise and discharge the functions, powers and duties of a municipal tax collector, as provided by law.
(3) 
Serve as City Tax Searcher and City Improvement Searcher and perform such functions as are prescribed by general law and municipal ordinance; provided, however, that the Director may appoint, in lieu of the City Tax Collector, any qualified person to the position of City Tax Searcher and City Improvement Searcher.
All moneys received from any source by or on behalf of the City or any department, board, office or agency thereof, except as otherwise provided by City ordinance, shall be paid to the Treasurer, who shall, by the next ensuing bank day after their receipt, deposit them to the credit of the City in the authorized public depository of the City, to the City, to the credit of the proper account.
The Treasurer shall also serve as custodian of school funds. In such capacity, he shall receive and shall keep and disburse all moneys raised and received for the public schools and all separate accounts thereof, provided that no money shall be paid out of the public school funds by the Treasurer, except on warrant signed by the President and Secretary of the Board of Education pursuant to an order or resolution passed at a stated meeting of the Board of Education and entered in its minutes.
Disbursements in payment of bills and demands shall be made by the Treasurer upon preaudit and warrant of the Comptroller, approved by the Business Administrator; except that payments from the payroll account shall be made pursuant to § 5-73. Every warrant shall be in the form of a warrant check payable to the order of the person entitled to receive it and shall specify the purpose for which it is drawn and the account or appropriation to which it is chargeable. Each warrant check shall bear the signature of the Mayor and be countersigned by the Treasurer.
A. 
Account established; deposits. There shall be an account to be designated the "City of Passaic payroll account," and from time to time, the City Treasurer upon receipt of a warrant or an amount due such payroll account shall deposit the same to the credit of the payroll account, charging the appropriate budgetary accounts therewith.
B. 
Method of disbursement. Disbursement from the payroll account may be made by payroll checks signed by the Treasurer alone or someone authorized by the Mayor to act in the Treasurer's stead upon preaudit and warrant of the Director of Finance and approval by the Business Administrator of the entire payroll.
C. 
Intervals of payment; payroll preparation. Salaries, wages and other compensation of all officers and employees shall be paid biweekly. The head of each department shall certify to the Comptroller, at such times and in such form as he shall prescribe, the names and positions of all persons employed in or by the Department who are entitled to be paid in the next ensuing payroll. The Comptroller shall then complete a central payroll for the City and prepare the necessary checks for signature.
A. 
Specifications for bills, demands, claims. No bill, demand or claim shall be paid unless it contains a detailed statement of the items or demand, specifying particularly how the bill or demand is made up, and a certification of the party claiming payment that it is correct; nor shall any bill, claim or demand be paid unless the voucher on which it is presented carries a certification of a department head, or of his duly designated representative, having personal knowledge of the facts that the goods have been received or the services rendered to the City.
B. 
Approval of Comptroller; list for Council.
[Amended 4-1-1976 by Ord. No. 330-76[1]]
(1) 
Bills, claims and demands against the City, when duly authorized and approved, shall be paid upon the audit, warrant and approval of the Comptroller, and disbursement shall be made by a combination warrant bank check or draft individually warranted by the Comptroller or Assistant Comptroller and signed by the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, except that City payroll checks may be signed by the Treasurer alone upon voucher and warrant of the Comptroller for a total payroll.
(2) 
The Treasurer shall prepare for each regular meeting of the Council a list of all bills, claims and vouchers which have been paid, pursuant to § 5-74D hereof, through the close of business on the Friday next preceding the meeting and since the last preceding list was compiled. Such list shall be prepared in sufficient copy for each member of the Council, for the Mayor and Business Administrator, and at least one copy shall be filed with the City Clerk as a public record open to examination in his office.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that "No bill or claim shall be paid that does not comply with this ordinance. Any person violating this ordinance shall be punishable as provided by law."
C. 
Paid bills presented to Council; public record. The Comptroller shall prepare for each regular meeting of the Council a list of all bills, claims and vouchers which have been paid through the close of business on the second day next preceding the meeting and since the last preceding list was compiled. Such list shall be filed with the Clerk as a public record open to examination in his office, and he shall note such filing in his minutes, together with a total of each listing.
D. 
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:69A-48 and 40A:5-17, there is hereby established a control function for the management of the finances of the City of Passaic and the method for dispersing moneys for approval and payment of claims to include the following:
[Amended 4-1-1976 by Ord. No. 330-76[2]]
(1) 
The method of disbursing moneys for payment of claims approval shall be by check drawn on the treasury or other custodian of funds and, after being signed by the Mayor, shall be countersigned by the Treasurer or other custodian of funds.
(2) 
There shall be established an encumbrance system of budget operations; a system for expenditures only upon written requisition; a system for the preaudit of all claims and demands prior to payment; and a system for the control of all payments out of any public funds by individual warrants for each payment to the official having custody thereof.
(3) 
There shall also be a system for maintenance of the City's central bookkeeping and accounting records in accordance with regulations of the New Jersey Division of Local Finances; for auditing all receipts and disbursements, preauditing all bills, claims and demands; for the control of all expenditures to assure that budget appropriations are not exceeded; and for the review of each proposed expenditure and commitment to be made on behalf of the City.
[2]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that "No bill or claim shall be paid that does not comply with this ordinance. Any person violating this ordinance shall be punishable as provided by law."
The Council will designate and retain a registered municipal accountant of New Jersey to prepare and submit, annually, a postaudit of all City accounts in accordance with state laws and regulations.