Alabama § 45-37A-52.163 - Director of Finance - Powers and Duties.

§ 45-37A-52.163. Director of Finance - Powers and Duties.

The director of finance shall have general management and control of the several divisions and units of the department of finance. He or she shall have charge, subject to the direction and control of the mayor, of the administration of the financial affairs of the city, and to that end shall have authority and be required to:

(1) Cooperate with the mayor in compiling estimates for the general fund, public utility, and capital budgets.

(2) Supervise and control all encumbrances, expenditures, and disbursements to insure that budget appropriations are not exceeded.

(3) Prescribe and install systems of accounts for all departments, offices, and agencies of the city and provide instructions for their use; and prescribe the form of receipts, vouchers, bills, or claims to be used and of accounts to be kept by all departments, offices, and agencies of the city

(4) Require daily, or at such other intervals as he or she may deem expedient, a report of receipts from each of such departments, offices, and agencies, and prescribe the time and the manner in which moneys received by them shall be paid to the office of the director of finance or deposited in a city bank account under his or her control.

(5) Examine all contracts, purchase orders, and other documents, except bonds and notes which create financial obligations against the city, and approve the same only upon ascertaining that money has been appropriated and allotted therefor and that an unexpended and unencumbered balance is available in such appropriation and allotment to meet the same, provided that the director of finance may give advance authorization for the expenditure from any appropriation for the purchase of supplies, materials, or equipment of such sum, within the current allotment of such appropriation as he or she may deem necessary during a period of not to exceed the ensuing three calendar months for the purchase of items not to exceed in cost fifty dollars ($50) for any one item, and immediately encumber such appropriation with the amount of such advance authorization, and thereafter, within the period specified, purchase orders for such items, to an aggregate not exceeding such authorization, shall be valid without the prior approval of the director of finance endorsed thereon, but each such purchase order shall be charged against such authorization and no such purchase order, which together with all such purchase orders previously charged within the period specified shall exceed the amount of such authorization, shall be valid.

(6) Have custody of all public funds belonging to or under the control of the city, or any office, department, or agency of the city government, and deposit all funds coming into his or her hands in such depositories as may be designated by resolution or ordinance of the council, or, if no such resolution or ordinance be adopted, by the mayor, subject to the requirements of law as to surety and the payment of interest on deposits. All such interest shall be the property of the city and shall be accounted for and credited to the proper account. He or she shall not be liable for any loss sustained as to funds of the city that are on deposit in such a designated bank.

(7) Audit and approve before payment, all bills, invoices, payrolls, and other evidences of claims, demands, or charges against the city government and with the advice of the department of law, determine the regularity, legality, and correctness of such claims, demands, or charges.

(8) Have custody of all investments and invested funds of the city or in its possession in a fiduciary capacity, unless otherwise provided by this part or by law, ordinance, or the terms of any trust, and the safekeeping of all bonds and notes of the city and the receipt and delivery of city bonds and notes for transfer, registration, and exchange.

(9) Have supervision over the preparation of bond ordinances, bonds, advertisements for sale of bonds, preparation of bond prospectuses, conduct of sale of bonds, and delivery of bonds, all subject to provisions of law and municipal ordinances, applicable thereto. Bonds shall be authenticated by the manual signature of the director of finance and shall bear the facsimile signature of the mayor and a facsimile of the seal of the city. Interest coupons transferable by delivery shall be attached to the bond and shall be authenticated by the facsimile signature of the director of finance.

(10) Supervise and direct the placing of all types of insurance carried by the city where the premiums in whole or in part are paid by the city, or the premiums in whole or in part are withheld through the payrolls; the amount of all types of insurance on which the city pays the premiums in whole or in part shall be determined by the council after a recommendation by the mayor.

(11) Submit to the mayor for presentation to the council not later than the twelfth day of each month, a statement showing in reasonable detail the revenues received by the city during the preceding month, the revenues received during that fiscal year up to and through the end of the preceding month, the expenditures made during the preceding month, and the accumulated expenditures made during that fiscal year up to and through the end of the preceding month, together with a comparison of the items with the budget estimates.

(12) Furnish to the head of each department, office, and agency of the city a copy of that portion of the statement as required in subdivision (11), as same is related to his or her department, office, or agency.

(13) Prepare and submit to the mayor at the end of each fiscal year, for the preceding year, a complete financial statement and report of the financial transactions of the city.

(14) Designate, with the approval of the mayor, and subject to any merit or civil service system applicable to such city, an employee of the department of finance as deputy director of finance who during the temporary absence or incapacity of the director of finance shall have and perform all the powers and duties conferred or imposed upon the director of finance.

(15) Protect the interests of the city by withholding the payment of any claim or demand by any person, firm, or corporation against the city until any indebtedness or other liability due from such person, firm, or corporation shall first have been settled and adjusted.

(16) Collect all special assessments, license fees, and other revenues of the city for whose collection the city is responsible and receive all money receivable by the city from the county, state, or federal government, or from any court, or from any office, department, or agency of the city.

(17) With approval of the mayor to inspect and audit any accounts or records of financial transactions which may be maintained in any office, department, or agency of the city government apart from or subsidiary to the accounts kept in his or her office.

(18) Supervise through the division of purchases as provided for in Section 45-37A-52.166, and be responsible for the purchase, storage, and distribution of all supplies, materials, equipment, and other articles used by any office, department, or agency of the city government.