Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) When a vacancy occurs in the office of
chief financial officer following the appointment of a certified county finance
officer to that office, the board of county commissioners or chief executive
officer, as appropriate to the form of government, may appoint, for a period
not to exceed one year commencing from the date of the vacancy, a person who
does not possess a county finance officer certificate to serve as a temporary
chief financial officer. A county may, with the approval of the Director,
pursuant to (a)2 and 3 below, appoint or reappoint a temporary chief financial
officer for an additional one-year term following the end of the first
temporary appointment. No county shall employ a temporary chief financial
officer for more than two consecutive one-year terms.
1. Prior to the end of the first-year
appointment of a temporary chief financial officer, the county's governing
body, or chief executive officer, as appropriate, shall request, in writing,
permission from the Director to appoint or reappoint a temporary chief
financial officer for an additional one-year term. A questionnaire approved by
the Director shall be completed and included with the written request. The
completed questionnaire and any documents submitted in support of said
questionnaire shall be exempt from disclosure under the Open Public Records
Act,
N.J.S.A.
47:1A-1 et seq.
2. Before granting approval to appoint or
reappoint a temporary chief financial officer, the Director shall be satisfied
that the individual is of good moral character and can satisfactorily fulfill
the duties of a chief financial officer. Any request to the Director shall
provide the following information:
i. The
candidate's efforts to obtain a county finance officer certificate;
ii. Whether, as a condition of hiring, the
county performed a criminal background check, credit check, and judgment
search, along with the results thereof;
iii. An explanation of any repeat comments on
the most recent annual audit, attributable to the office of chief financial
officer; and
iv. An explanation of
any complaints against the office of chief financial officer from a member of
the public, or other persons, that are of a serious nature, such as those that
involve potential, ongoing, or prior litigation.
3. The Director may request from the county's
governing body or chief executive officer, as appropriate, such other
information as may be necessary to determine the individual's good moral
character and ability to fulfill the duties of a chief financial
officer.
