Sec. 7.

(1) The council shall audit and allow all accounts chargeable against the village. An account or claim or contract shall not be received for audit or allowance unless it is accompanied with a certificate of an officer of the village, or an affidavit of the person rendering it, that the services therein charged have been actually performed or the property delivered for the village, that the sums charged therefor are reasonable and just, and that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, no set-off exists, and no payment has been made on account thereof, except such set-offs or payments as are endorsed or referred to in the account or claim. Each account shall exhibit in detail all the items making up the amount claimed, and the date of each. The council may adopt a different procedure for the audit and allowance of accounts, claims, and contracts than that provided by this subsection.

(2) It shall be a sufficient defense in any court, to an action or proceeding for the collection of any claim against the village for personal injuries or otherwise that it has never been presented, certified to, or verified to the council for allowance as provided in this section or as may be required under different procedures adopted by the council; or, if the claim is founded on contract, that the claim was presented without the certificate or affidavit required by this section and was rejected for that reason; or, that the action or proceeding was brought before the council had a reasonable time to investigate and pass upon it.

History: 1895, Act 3, Imd. Eff. Feb. 19, 1895 ;-- CL 1897, 2754 ;-- CL 1915, 2625 ;-- CL 1929, 1534 ;-- CL 1948, 65.7 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 255, Imd. Eff. July 13, 1998