[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the Borough of Palisades Park 7-8-1976 as Section 2-16 of the Revised General
Ordinances of 1975; amended in its entirety 5-20-2003 by Ord. No. 1417. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 4-26-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-1]
The Borough of Palisades Park, by its governing
body, shall not pay out any of its money:
A.
Unless the person claiming or receiving the same shall
first present a detailed bill of times or demand, specifying particularly
how the bill or demand is made up, with the certification of the party
claiming payment that it is correct. The governing body may, by resolution,
require an affidavit in lieu of the said certification, and the clerk
or disbursing officer of the local unit may take such affidavit without
cost.
B.
Unless it carries a written order or electronic certification
of a department head or duly designated employee of the local unit
and the Chief Financial Officer having knowledge of the facts that
the goods have been received by, or the services rendered, to the
local unit.
C.
As to services rendered by professionals, unless the
Borough Administrator and the Chief Financial Officer having knowledge
of the facts that the goods have been received by, or the services
rendered, to the local unit.
D.
As to invoices
submitted by the Borough Administrator, unless the Borough Clerk and
the Chief Financial Officer having knowledge of the fact that the
goods have been received by, or the services rendered, to the local
unit.
Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:5-16.1,
the Borough may, by resolution, provide for and authorize payment
of advances to officers and employees of the local unit toward their
expenses for authorized official travel and expenses incident thereto.
Any such resolution shall provide for the verification and adjustment
of such expenses and advances and the repayment of any excess advanced
by means of detailed bill of items or demand and the certifications
or affidavit required by N.J.S.A. 40A:5-16 which shall be submitted
within 10 days after the completion of the travel for which an advance
was made.
Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:5-16.2,
the Borough may, by resolution, provide for and authorize payment
of an advance to any nonprofit organization or agency with which the
Borough has entered into a service contract, for the purpose of meeting
service program start-up costs; provided, however, that:
A.
The source of the funds to be advanced is a federal
grant allowing the local unit to receive funds in advance of disbursement
and requiring that any interest earned on said funds be returned to
the federal government;
B.
The governing body has determined, by resolution,
that the advance is necessary in order to prevent undue hardship to
said contractor in achieving the objectives of the federal grant;
C.
The amount of the advance to any given contractor
does not exceed an amount equal to the total amount of the contract
divided by the number of months in the term of the contract, and provided
further that the total disbursements of the Borough to the contractor,
including the amount of the advance outstanding, shall not, at any
time, exceed the total cash receipt of the local unit under the federal
grant up to that time; and,
D.
The resolution authorizing the advance includes a
schedule for the depletion of the advance, in accordance with sound
accounting practice, indicating that the advance will be entirely
depleted by the termination date of the contract.
Notwithstanding the provision of N.J.S.A. 40A:5-16,
the governing body participating in a statutorily authorized joint,
interlocal or other cooperative activity may, by resolution, provide
for and authorize payment in advance of estimated administrative or
direct service costs to the local unit or other party providing administrative
services or otherwise acting on behalf of or for the group.
The governing body shall approve or disapprove
all claims.
A.
The governing body does hereby designate the Chief
Financial Officer and determines him to be the certifying and approval
officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall accept certifications required
by N.J.S.A. 40A:5-16b, ascertaining the existence of proper and legal
appropriations for the payments to be made and determining that there
is legal authority for the payments, evidenced by action of a purchasing
department or agent or officer in respect to the goods or services
ordered and the incurring of the expense therefor.
B.
The Chief Financial Officer shall provide for the
approving and certifying of the proper officer claims for payments
and drawing checks therefor.
C.
The Chief Financial Officer shall prescribed for certifying
approved claims to the governing body and regulating its approval
or disapproval thereon.
Agreement of claim shall be made by checks drawn
on the municipality signed by the Mayor and the Municipal Clerk and
countersigned by the Chief Financial Officer.
The Chief Financial Officer shall keep general
books of account for the municipality and shall maintain same.
The Chief Financial Officer shall have the authority
to process without further action on the part of the governing body
the cancellation of any property tax refund or delinquency of less
than $10.
All claims approved for payment shall be recorded
in the minutes of the governing body, and such approval shall be opened
to the public. Prior to the presentation to the governing body of
a claim's list, the Chief Financial Officer shall certify that there
are funds available for said payment and that there is legal authority
for the payments evidenced by action of the purchasing department
or agent or officer in respect to the goods or services ordered and
the incurring of the expense therefor.
The Borough shall pay salaries, wages or other
compensation for services in the same manner as for checks drawn upon
the municipality and signed for that purpose. The Borough shall pay
biweekly all salaries, wages and compensation of officers and employees,
both elective and appointive.
A.
Whenever an official ceases to hold office in the
Borough, on the day of the expiration of his term of office, he shall
forthwith deliver to the Chief Financial Officer all moneys, papers,
books, memoranda, accounts and any data of any nature whatever pertaining
to his office.
B.
On refusal to carry out the provisions of this section
within five days after the expiration of his term, he shall, on notice
in writing of such delinquency from the Mayor, be subject to a penalty
of 50 days for each day of refusal or neglect to comply therewith.
Certain petty cash funds may be established
by the Borough after approval by the Director of the Department of
Community Affairs.
