Manhattan Beach Municipal Code Ch. 2.12 Demands Against the City

All claims or demands against the City shall be made in writing and should set forth in reasonable detail the reason the claim or demand is presented. In case of materials and supplies, the claim or demand should be accompanied by a written statement or voucher signed by the person ordering the materials or supplies for which the claim or demand is made, or have thereon the requisition or purchase order number, if any, pursuant to which such claim or demand is made.

(§ 1, Ord. 659)

Except as otherwise provided by the general laws of the State, all claims or demands against the City shall be filed with the Director of Finance. Pursuant to State law, after the budget is adopted by ordinance by the Council, warrants issued thereafter need not be audited by the Council. Prior to the effective date of the ordinance adopting the budget, warrants will be audited by the Council. During the period when the auditing of warrants by the Council is required, claims or demands should be filed with or presented to the Director of Finance at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the regular or adjourned regular meeting of the Council at which the same are to be presented. The Director of Finance, in his discretion, may withhold the presenting of any claim or demand which is not filed prior to such forty-eight (48) hour period until the second regular or adjourned regular meeting of the Council held after such filing.

(§ 1, Ord. 1136, eff. October 17, 1968)

A. Audit. The Director of Finance, after receipt of such claims or demands and before presenting the same to the Council during the period when the Council is required to audit warrants, shall audit the same, giving particular attention to:

1. A comparison of the items reflected in such claim or demand as compared with the corresponding items set forth in the requisition, purchase order or contract;

2. Verification that the materials, supplies or services covered by the claim or demand have been received and that the amounts reflected are due and payable; and

3. The accuracy of the mathematical computations and extensions.

B. Warrants. The Director of Finance shall thereupon present warrants covering the claims or demands which he finds to be in order after his examination thereof, and shall cause such warrants to be numbered and listed on warrant registers prior to presenting the same to the Council for its audit and approval during the period when such audit is required.

C. Warrant registers. A warrant register shall be prepared by the Director of Finance for payroll warrants and another for other warrants.

D. Affidavit. There shall be included in, or attached to each warrant register the affidavit of the Director of Finance, or his authorized deputy, certifying as to the accuracy of the demands and the availability of funds for payment thereof.

E. Indication of audit by Council. During the period when the Council is required to audit warrants, provisions shall be made at the bottom of each warrant register sheet for indication of audit by the Council and the approval or disapproval by it of any or all warrants listed on such warrant register sheet. This procedure will expedite the business of the Council and will minimize the number of signatures of Councilmen engaged in the audit.

(§ 3 A, B, C, D and E, Ord. 659, as amended by §§ 2, 3, 4 Ord. 1136, eff. October 17, 1968)

Upon the presentation of the warrant, properly executed and endorsed, the City Treasurer shall pay the same out of the funds in the City Treasury properly applicable to that purpose.

(§ 3 F, Ord. 659)

In the case of demands covering payrolls incurred for or on behalf of the City, only one demand for each payroll period need be prepared and presented, which demand shall clearly indicate the total amount and the respective items to be charged against the various funds affected. In such case only one warrant, payable to the City Treasurer, need be drawn, which warrant shall be delivered to the Treasurer. The proceeds of the warrant shall be used by the Treasurer in the payment (by Treasurer's checks or warrants) of the items to the persons indicated as respectively entitled thereto in the payroll demand pursuant to which the same was issued. The Treasurer's checks or warrants covering the respective items of the payroll demand shall be prepared by the Director of Finance as the accounting officer of the City and shall be furnished to the City Treasurer, ready for signature, at the time the payroll warrant is delivered to him. The reference in this section to one demand and warrant shall not be construed to prevent the Director of Finance from preparing more than one demand and warrant in those cases where the division of a payroll may be desirable or indicated from an accounting or administrative standpoint, it being the intention of this section to simplify, rather than complicate, payroll procedure and payment in accordance with good accounting practice. The Treasurer's payroll checks, when signed by him, shall be distributed by the City Treasurer to the parties entitled to them through the Finance Division of the Director of Finance's office unless in specific instances or emergencies the City Manager shall direct otherwise. The Treasurer's checks, properly endorsed by the payee, shall be a sufficient receipt or voucher for the disbursement or payment represented by such check.

(§ 3 G, Ord. 659)

When any claim or demand is allowed by the Council and ordered paid by a resolution adopted by the Council, the Director of Finance, or his authorized deputy, shall draw a warrant upon the City Treasurer for the same as allowed and shall specify the purpose for which the same is drawn and also out of what fund payment is to be made.

(§ 4, Ord. 659, as amended by § 1, Ord. 965, eff. July 3, 1964)

All claims and demands against the City, before final action thereon by the Council, shall be examined by the Finance Committee of the Council.

(§ 5, Ord. 659)

A. Created. There is hereby created in the records and accounts of the City a fund in the principal sum of Five Hundred and no/100ths ($500.00) Dollars to be known as the "Payroll Revolving Fund."

B. Request for warrant for employees leaving service. Whenever any officer or employee of the City is dismissed from service or is retired from service at a time when such officer or employee has earned, but has not been paid, the amount of his compensation up to the time of such dismissal or retirement, the head of the officer or employee's department or the City Manager may apply to the Director of Finance for a Payroll Revolving Fund request or order in an amount which shall be equal to the amount of compensation which such dismissed or otherwise retiring officer or employee shall be entitled to receive up to the time of such dismissal or retirement.

C. City Treasurer to draw Treasurer's check. The Director of Finance, upon receipt of such request or order, shall instruct the City Treasurer by written order to draw a Treasurer's check, to be signed by the Treasurer, upon the Payroll Revolving Fund for the amount set forth in such order, such check to be payable to the officer or employee, or order.

D. City Treasurer to pay employees leaving service. Upon receipt of such request or order from the Director of Finance, together with the necessary Treasurer's payroll checks properly prepared, the City Treasurer shall sign such checks and make delivery thereof to the respective persons designated as payees therein. Presentment of such requests or orders from the Director of Finance to the City Treasurer shall be a sufficient acquittance and discharge to the City Treasurer for any and all amounts so paid out in accordance with such requests and orders.

E. Replenishment of fund. At the time the next or succeeding payroll is prepared involving the department or service from which such officer or employee may have been dismissed or retired the Director of Finance, by appropriate entries in such payroll, shall provide for the replenishment of the Payroll Revolving Fund so that the account may be maintained available for the purposes stated at the base amount of Five Hundred and no/100ths ($500.00) Dollars.

(§ 6, Ord. 659)