Budgets and Budgetary Accounting - The Township of Jackson must adopt an annual budget for its Current Fund in accordance with N.J.S.A.40A:4 et seq. N.J.S.A.40A:4-5 requires the governing body to introduce and approve the annual municipal budget no later than February 10th of each year. At introduction, the governing body must fix the time and place for a public hearing on the budget and must advertise the time and place at least ten days prior to the hearing in a newspaper published and circulating in the municipality. The public hearing must not be held less than twenty-eight days after the date the budget was introduced. After the hearing has been held, the governing body may, by majority vote, adopt the budget or may amend the budget in accordance with N.J.S.A.40A:4-9. Amendments to adopted budgets, if any are detailed in the statements of revenues and expenditures.

An extension of the statutory dates for introduction, approval and adoption of the municipal budget may be granted by the Director of Local Government Services, with the permission of the Local Finance Board. Budgets are adopted on the same basis of accounting utilized for the preparation of the Township’s financial statements. Once a budget is approved it may be amended after November 1, by a resolution adopted by the governing body.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments - Cash and Cash equivalents include petty cash, change funds and cash on deposit with public depositories. All certificates of deposit are recorded as cash regardless of the date of maturity. Investments are stated at cost. Consequently, unrealized gain or loss on investments has not been recorded in accordance with Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 31.

New Jersey municipal units are required by N.J.S.A.40A:5-14 to deposit public funds in a bank or trust company having its place of business in the State of New Jersey and organized under the laws of the United States or of the State of New Jersey or in the New Jersey Cash Management Fund. N.J.S.A.40A:5-15.1 provides a list of investments, which may be purchased by New Jersey municipal units. In addition, other State statutes permit investments in obligations issued by local utilities and other state agencies.

N.J.S.A.17:9-41 et seq. establishes the requirements for the security of deposits of governmental units. The statute requires that no governmental unit shall deposit public funds in a public depository unless such funds are secured in accordance with the Governmental Unit Deposit Protection Act, which was enacted in 1970 to protect governmental units from a loss of funds on deposit with a failed banking institution in New Jersey. Public depositories include State or federally chartered banks savings banks or associations located in or having a branch office in the State of New Jersey, the deposits of which are federally insured. All public depositories must pledge collateral, having a market value at least equal to five percent of the average daily balance of collected public funds, to secure the deposits of Governmental Units. If a public depository fails, the collateral it has pledged, plus the collateral of all other public depositories, is available to pay the amount of their deposits to the Governmental Units.

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