A.
The budget shall be prepared by the Mayor with the
assistance of the Business Administrator. During the month of November,
the Mayor shall require all department heads to submit requests for
appropriations for the ensuing budget year and to appear before the
Mayor or the Business Administrator at public hearings which shall
be held during that month on the various requests. On or before the
15th day of January, the Mayor shall submit to Council his/her recommended
budget together with such explanatory comment or statement as (s)he
may deem desirable.
B.
The Business Administrator, with the assistance of
the Director of Finance, shall prepare all estimates of nonproperty
tax revenues anticipated for the support of each annual budget.
C.
The budget document shall be prepared in such form
as is required by law for municipal budgets and in accordance with
the Charter. There shall be appended to the budget a detailed analysis
of all items of expenditure and revenue, which analysis shall include
a comparison of the total number of positions of each class and grade
to be authorized by the budget with the actual number thereof employed
at the beginning and ending of the preceding budget period. So far
as practicable, the analysis shall include appropriate statements
of the cost of performance of functional programs and activities in
terms of quantitative, countable units of work for operating and capital
expenditures.
A.
The Business Administrator shall supervise the administration
of each annual budget. In consultation with department heads (s)he
shall establish quarterly or other periodic allotments of appropriations
as he may deem necessary. Each department shall plan and administer
its expenditure program within the limits of these allotments.
B.
If at any time during the budget year the Business
Administrator shall ascertain that the City government is faced with
the probability of incurring a cash deficit for the current year,
he shall reconsider the work programs and allotments of the several
departments. Upon such reconsideration and with the approval of the
Mayor, he may revise budget allotments so as to forestall, so far
as possible, the making of commitments and expenditures in excess
of the revenues to be realized during the fiscal year. (S)He shall
file with the Director of Finance a copy of such revised allotments,
and the Director of Finance shall control all expenditures within
the limits thereof.
C.
Purchase control. There is hereby created the Office
of Purchasing Agent with all powers and duties set forth. All purchases
of any supplies, materials of equipment or contractual services for
the City's account shall be made by the Department of Finance pursuant
to a written requisition from the head of the department whose appropriation
will be charged and the certification of the Comptroller that a sufficient
unencumbered balance of appropriation is available to pay therefor.
All such purchase contracts in excess of $25,000 shall conform to
applicable requirements of state statutes for competitive bidding.
[Amended 6-2-2002 by Ord. No. 02-55; 2-5-2004 by Ord. No. 04-6]
Where contracts are let to public competitive
bidding, the Council may upon recommendation of the purchasing agent
let the contract in the manner prescribed by law. The Mayor or Business
Administrator shall execute and sign contracts let and authorized
pursuant to the Charter and ordinances, and their respective signatures
shall be attested by the Clerk.
The Division of Purchasing shall establish and
approve uniform standards for requisitions and purchases. The Division
shall control the delivery of all supplies, materials and equipment
and other items purchased, and make or cause to be made proper test
checks and inspections thereof. The Division shall ascertain whether
supplies, materials, equipment and other items purchased comply with
the specifications, and cause laboratory or other tests to be made
whenever, in the opinion of the division head, it is necessary to
determine whether the materials or supplies furnished are of the quality
and standard required.
A.
Each department shall, upon request of the Business
Administrator, submit a complete statement of the materials, supplies
and equipment and work and labor under contract which will be required
by the department during the ensuing year, half-year or quarter-year,
as the Administrator may determine, according to the best estimate
of the department head. This statement shall be in such form and detail
as the Administrator may require.
B.
Purchases shall be made upon requisition of a department
head to the Purchasing Agent under such procedures and in such form
as the Business Administrator may prescribe or approve. Except as
the Business Administrator may authorize in case of emergency, no
purchase shall be made and no bill, claim or voucher shall be approved
unless the procedures prescribed by or pursuant to this chapter have
been followed.
A.
Bills, claims and demands against the City shall be
deemed approved or disapproved by the Council in accordance with the
action of the Comptroller. A voucher on a form prescribed by the Comptroller
shall be presented for each bill, claim or demand and shall be paid
only upon the audit, warrant and approval of the Comptroller. All
claims against the City shall be submitted on a form adopted pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 59:1-1 et seq., and shall be duplicated in sufficient
quantities to be readily available on demand in the office of the
City Clerk to any claimant or party requesting same. Disbursement
shall be made by a combination warrant-bank check or draft warranted
by the Director of Finance, the Comptroller or Assistant Comptroller,
signed by the Mayor and countersigned by the Treasurer or Assistant
Treasurer, except that payroll checks may be signed by the Treasurer
or Assistant Treasurer alone upon voucher and warrant of the Comptroller
for a total payroll.
B.
The Treasurer 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 prepared in sufficient quantity for each member of Council,
the Mayor and the Business Administrator, and at least one copy shall
be filed with the Clerk as a public record open to examination in
his/her office.
The Council shall cause to be made an annual
audit of the City's accounts and financial transactions as required
by law. The annual audit shall be made by a registered municipal accountant
of New Jersey selected by the Council.