40A:9-140.13 Municipal finance officer certificate required; tenure; vacancies.

8. a. Commencing January 1, 1991, no person shall be appointed or reappointed as a chief financial officer unless he holds a municipal finance officer certificate issued pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1971, c.413 (C.40A:9-140.1 et seq.) or P.L.1988, c.110.

b. Any person who has, on or before the effective date of P.L.1988, c.110 been granted tenure pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of P.L.1977, c.39 (C.40A:9-140.8) or the provisions of N.J.S.40A:9-152, may continue to serve in his current position and shall not be removed from office or denied reappointment except for just cause and then only after a public hearing conducted pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of P.L.1977, c.39 (C.40A:9-140.8 and C.40A:9-140.9).

c. Any certified municipal finance officer who has been appointed as the chief financial officer of a municipality pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1988, c.110 (C.40A:9-140.10) subsequent to the effective date of P.L.1988, c.110 and who thereafter filed with the clerk of that municipality and with the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs a notification that he had complied with the requirements of section 2 of P.L.1977, c.39 (C.40A:9-140.8) shall be considered to have been granted tenure and shall accordingly be entitled to the protections set forth in subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.1977, c.39 (C.40A:9-140.8).

d. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, any person who has served as a municipal finance officer in the same municipality for a period of not less than five consecutive years while holding a municipal finance officer certificate issued in accordance with P.L.1971, c.413 (C.40A:9-140.1 et seq.), and who thereafter is appointed as the chief financial officer of that municipality, shall be granted tenure of office upon the filing with the clerk of the municipality and the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs a notification evidencing his compliance with this section.

e. A municipal finance officer who has held office continuously for five consecutive years in the same municipality may continue to serve in his current position and shall not be removed from office or denied reappointment for failure to qualify as a certified municipal finance officer pursuant to provisions of P.L.1971, c.413 (C.40A:9-140.1 et seq.) or P.L.1988, c.110. However, any such individual shall not be entitled to be appointed as the chief financial officer of that municipality unless he possesses a municipal finance officer certificate.

f. When a vacancy occurs in the office of chief financial officer following the appointment of a certified municipal 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 municipal finance officer certificate to serve as a temporary chief financial officer. Any person so appointed may, with the approval of the director, be reappointed as chief financial officer following the termination of the temporary appointment for up to two additional one-year terms. No local unit shall have a temporary chief financial officer for more than three consecutive years. Time served as a temporary chief financial officer shall not count as time served as a chief financial officer for the purpose of acquiring tenure pursuant to subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.1977, c.39 (C.40A:9-140.8) or subsection d. of this section.

g. Upon application by a municipal governing body to the director, an individual without a municipal finance officer certificate may, with the approval of the director, be appointed to serve as the chief financial officer in a municipality in which he is presently employed if that individual meets all of the requirements established under subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.1971, c.413 (C.40A:9-140.2) and further has completed four of the seven training courses identified in subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.1971, c.413 (C.40A:9-140.2), at least two of which shall be accounting courses. If any individual appointed as a chief financial officer pursuant to this subsection fails to obtain a municipal finance officer certificate prior to January 1, 1992, his appointment as chief financial officer shall lapse and the municipal governing body shall appoint a certified municipal finance officer as the municipality's chief financial officer.

L.1988, c.110, s.8; amended 1991, c.175, s.11; 2015, c.95, s.24.