40A:9-28.4. Appointment of chief financial officer.

555 words·~3 min read·/nj/title-40a/chapter-9/40a-9-28-4

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4. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, in every county there shall be a chief financial officer appointed in the same manner as department directors in accordance with the county's form of government. The term of office shall be three years, which shall run from January 1 in the year in which the chief financial officer is appointed. The compensation for the chief financial officer shall be set forth in a county salary resolution.

b. No person shall serve as the chief financial officer of any county in which he serves as a member of the governing body.

c. Commencing July 1, 1996, no person shall be appointed or reappointed as a chief financial officer unless the person holds a county finance officer certificate issued pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.87 (C.40A:9-28.2).

d. When a vacancy occurs in the office of chief financial officer following the appointment of a certified county finance officer to that office, the governing body or chief executive officer, as appropriate, may appoint, for a period not to exceed one year and commencing on the date of the vacancy, a person who does not hold a county finance officer certificate to serve as a temporary chief financial officer. Any person so appointed, with the approval of the director, may be reappointed as chief financial officer following the termination of the temporary appointment for one additional year. No county shall have a temporary chief financial officer for more than two consecutive years.

e. If a governing body fails or refuses to comply with this section, and has received an order from the director to do so, the members of a governing body who willfully fail or refuse to comply each shall be subject to a personal penalty of $100 for each day after the date fixed for final action that the failure or refusal to comply continues. The amount of the penalty may be recovered by the director in the name of the State as a personal debt of the member of the governing body and upon receipt shall be paid into the State Treasury.

f. Within 90 days of the occurrence of a vacancy in the office of chief financial officer, unless an extension is granted by the director upon written request by the governing body or chief executive officer, the governing body or chief executive officer, as appropriate to the form of government of the county, shall appoint an individual with a county finance officer certificate issued pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.87 (C.40A:9-28.2), or, if a vacancy occurs in the office of chief financial officer following the appointment of a certified county finance officer to that office, appoint a person who does not hold a county finance officer certificate to serve as a temporary chief financial officer pursuant to subsection d. of this section.

In lieu of an appointment pursuant to this section, a shared services agreement with another county or counties may be entered into pursuant to section 4 of P.L. 2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-4). The director may approve an extension of the 90-day period upon good cause shown and the county having demonstrated its inability to fill the vacancy in the office of the chief financial officer despite having made a good faith effort to do so.

L.1993,c.87,s.4; amended 2025, c.185, s.11.