The Mayor may appoint, with the approval of a majority of Council, the Director of Finance. Any person eligible to be the Director of Finance shall not have a family member holding an elected office for the City of Seven Hills nor have a family member nominated for and/or appointed to an elected office for the City of Seven Hills. For this section, “family” is consanguinity or affinity of the second degree which includes spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren.
The Council may by vote of five (5) of its members remove the Director of Finance for gross misconduct, malfeasance, nonfeasance, misfeasance, in or disqualification for office; for violation of oath of office, or for the conviction while in office of a crime involving moral turpitude. Prior to any action by Council, the Director of Finance shall be notified in writing of the charge or charges against him at least fifteen (15) days in advance of any hearing upon such charge, and he and his counsel shall be given opportunity to be heard, present evidence, and examine any witness under oath appearing in support of such charge or charges.
The Director of Finance shall have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in accounting, finance, or business administration, and a minimum of three (3) years experience in taxation, accounting, and business administration.
(a) Duties. The Director of Finance shall be the chief fiscal officer of the City and the several departments and offices thereof. The Diretor of Finance shall keep an accurate account of all taxes and assessments, of all the assets and liabilities of the City, of all receipts and disbursements of the City, and of all appropriations made by the Council. The Director of Finance shall examine and approve, if in proper form, and if an appropriation has been duly made thereof, payrolls, bills, and other claims, and prepare and sign all warrants. The Director of Finance may appoint assistants necessary for the proper functioning of the Finance Department.
1. Purchasing. The Director of Finance shall be the purchasing agent, until such time as a purchasing department shall be established by the Council. On the basis of requisitions, submitted and approved by the Mayor or Council, the Director of Finance shall contract for, purchase on specifications, store and distribute, all supplies required by the City. The Director of Finance shall be responsible for the inspection of all supplies and determine their quality, quantity and conformation to specifications. The Director of Finance shall transfer supplies and accept bids for the disposal of obsolete or surplus equipment as requested by the responsible department, commission or board head.
2. Appropriations and Reports. The Director of Finance shall be responsible for the preparation and submission of appropriation measures and shall assist the Mayor and Council int the preparation of estimates, budgets, and other financial matters. The Director of Finance shall submit to Council, a quarterly report of all receipts and disbursements.
3. Collections. The Director of Finance shall be the collector and custodian of all monies of the City, including license fees, fines, court costs and waivers. The Director of Finance shall receive and preserve such monies in such manner and form and in places as the Council shall direct. The Director of Finance shall also receive and disburse all public monies coming into his or her hands, pursuant to such requirements as may be requested by the authorities having lawful control over such funds.
4. Certifications. No contract, agreement or other obligation involving the expenditure of money shall be entered into by any officer of the City unless the Director of Finance first certifies to Council or to the proper officer, as the case may be, that the money required for such contract, agreement, obligation or expenditure is in the treasury, to the credit of the fund for which it is to be drawn, or in the process of collection, and not appropriated for any other purpose, which certificates shall get filed and immediately recorded. The sums so certified shall not thereafter be considered unappropriated until the City is discharged from the contract, agreement or obligation.
5. Funds Subject to Certification. All monies actually in the treasury to the credit of the fund from which they are to be drawn, and all monies applicable to the payment of the obligation or appropriation involved, that are anticipated to come into the treasury before the maturity of such contract, agreement or obligation, from taxes or assessments, or from sales, services, products, or from any Municipal undertakings, fees, charges, accounts and bills receivable, or other credits in the process of collection; and all monies applicable to the payment of such obligation of appropriation, which are to be paid into the treasury prior to the maturity thereof, arising from the sale or lease of lands or other property, and the monies to be derived from lawfully authorized bonds or notes sold and in the process of delivery shall, for the purpose of such certificate, be deemed in the treasury and subject to such certification.
(b) Miscellaneous. All contracts, agreements or other obligations entered into contrary to the provisions of subsection (a)(4) and (a)(5) of this Section 3 of this Charter shall be void.
1. Attendance at Council. The Director of Finance shall attend all regular meetings of the Council and perform all other duties required by this Charter and by ordinance or resolution of Council.
2. Fiscal Year. Unless by ordinance otherwise provided, the fiscal year shall be the same as established for municipalities by the general laws of Ohio.
3. Appropriation Estimates. The Mayor with the assistance of the Director of Finance shall prepare and submit to Council not less than forty-five (45) days before the end of each fiscal year an estimate of revenue and expenditures for the succeeding fiscal year. The head of each department, board, division and commission shall submit to the Mayor the necessary information for such estimates. The estimates shall consist of: estimate of revenue from all sources and a comparative statement for the current year and the preceding year; estimate of expenses of each department and activity of the City and comparative statement for the current year and the preceding year; amount of debt and schedule of maturities of outstanding bonds and notes; value of current inventory or supplies; and amount of unencumbered balance in each bond and improvement fund.
4. Appropriation Ordinance. Council shall adopt an annual appropriation ordinance within ninety (90) days after the receipts or a Certificate of Resources from the County Auditor, or within ninety (90) days from the beginning of the fiscal year, whichever shall last occur. Council may make one or more preliminary appropriations for current expenses until the annual appropriation ordinance is in effect.
5. Transfers of Funds. The Council may transfer any part of any unencumbered balance of an appropriation of any fund allowed by law to any purpose or object for which the appropriation for the current year has proven insufficient, except that no transfer shall be made of monies raised or appropriated for the payment of any bond or note of the city until all indebtedness, interest and other obligations which must lawfully be paid from such monies has been paid.
6. Payment. No money shall be drawn from the treasury nor shall an obligation for expenditure be incurred except in accordance with appropriations made by Council. Claims shall be approved in writing by the head or acting head of the department for which obligation was incurred.
7. Public Bidding. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Section 3(b)(7) was repealed by the voters on November 2, 1982, thus obligating the City to operate under and following bidding requirements as set forth in the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Constitution.)
8. Public Improvements. Public improvements of all kinds may be made by the appropriate departments either by the direct employment of the necessary labor and purchases of supplies and materials in the manner herein provided with a separate account as to each improvement so made, or by contract let as provided in subsection (b)(7) of Section 3 of this Article of this Charter either for a closed price or upon a unit basis.
(Amended 11-3-09; 11-6-18; Res. 04-2024)