N.Y. Town Law § 117: Certain contracts and expenditures prohibited

§ 117. Certain contracts and expenditures prohibited. Except as

authorized by law, no officer, board, department or commission shall

during any fiscal year expend or contract to be expended any money or

incur any liability or enter into any contract which by its terms

involves the expenditure of money for any purpose, unless provision

therefor shall have been made in the annual budget, and in no case in

excess of the amount appropriated for such year, except pursuant to

section one hundred twelve of this chapter and further excepting such

leases and contracts as may have been entered into by the town for a

term exceeding one year in accordance with the provisions of this

chapter or any other law applicable to such town. Nothing in this

section shall be construed to prevent the allowance of any claim by the

town board for any lawful town purpose in excess of the amount

appropriated for such year for such purposes, where the said town board

has by resolution transferred sufficient funds to said budgetary fund in

accordance with section one hundred twelve of this chapter, and nothing

in this act shall be construed to prevent the town supervisor or the

town comptroller from paying amounts in excess of the amounts

appropriated for such year in the annual budget where such transfer has

been made, nor shall anything in this act be construed to require a town

which has entered into a lease or contract for a term exceeding one year

to pay during the current year any amounts larger than those which

become due and owing during that year under the terms of such lease or

contract. Any contract, verbal or written, made in violation of this

section, shall be null and void as to the town and no money belonging to

the town shall be paid thereon. Nothing herein contained shall be

construed to prohibit the town board from making contracts for periods

exceeding one year for the purposes of improvement districts whenever

authorized by law.