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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 02-008RESOLUTION NO. 02-8 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 85-134 AND ADOPTING TRAVEL EXPENSE GUIDELINES FOR CITY REPRESENTATIVES WHEREAS, the City of Palm Desert City Council has received and considered the proposed Travel Expense Guidelines submitted by the Finance Director on February 14, 2002; and WHEREAS, the Travel Expense Guidelines have been prepared for the City of Palm Desert (attached hereto and made a part hereof as Exhibit "A"); and WHEREAS, the purpose of the Travel Expense Guidelines is to establish reimbursement of allowable expenses for conference and function attendance by City representatives; and WHEREAS, the City Attorney has reviewed and approved the Travel Expense Guidelines as submitted. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City o f Palm Desert City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, that Travel Expense Guidelines (Exhibit "A") is hereby approved. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California at its regular meeting held on the 14° day of February , 2002, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: BENSON, CRITES, FERGUSON, SPIEGEL, KELLY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE HARD S. KELLY, MA j OR ATTEST: SHEILA R. G1LLIbAN, I CLERK CITY OF PALM DESE CALIFORNIA RESOLUTION NO. 02-8 EXHIBIT A TRAVEL EXPENSE GUIDELINES ALLOWABLE EXPENSES Following any seminar/conference all original, detailed receipts will need to be submitted to Finance for reimbursement. Expenses must be related to the seminar/conference and must be reasonable. Guidelines are as follows: Meals: Reimbursement of expenses for one -day seminars will be compensated as is appropriate for the duration of same. Seminars lasting two days or more, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be allowed. Detailed receipts are required for reimbursement (Alcohol is not a reimbursable expense). Employees are only reimbursed for the portion of the receipt which applies to them. Expenses for any conference related guests must be pre -approved by your Department Head. Tips: Tips in excess of 20% will be the responsibility of the employee. Hotel: Hotel receipts must be submitted for reimbursement of any expenses, especially if the hotel room was prepaid by the City. Movie rentals are not reimbursable. The City allows employees to stay the night before the seminar starts and the night after the seminar ends, if necessary, due to the earliness/lateness of the seminar/conference. Airfare: Similar to registration fees, airfare should be paid directly by the City of Palm Desert. Airfare will be reimbursed for the equivalent of coach airfare. You may use any travel agent or internet service to purchase your ticket. If you use the League of California Cities airline pass, you may use Antelope Travel Service which knows how to process these Southwest airline tickets at a $10 service fee. Parking Fees: Parking fees are reimbursable when a personal or city vehicle is used while attending a conference/seminar. Mileage: Mileage is reimbursable for personal vehicle usage at a rate of $.345/mile. Mileage is calculated by the lesser of the Civic Center to conference destination or employee's home to conference destination. Mileage will only be reimbursed at a rate equal to that RESOLUTION NO. 02-8 destination. Mileage will only be reimbursed at a rate equal to that of alternative means of transportation. (i.e. If you choose to drive to Sacramento instead of flying, the maximum mileage reimbursement you can receive is equal to that of the airfare plus rental car/taxi). If a city or rental vehicle is used, gas receipts will be necessary for reimbursement. All mileage is verified by the Finance Department using Mapquest.com. Phone: All business related phone calls are reimbursable (including one reasonably brief (10 minutes or less), non -emergency, personal call home per day, if desired). Registration: Registration should be paid directly by the City prior to the conference/seminar deadline. (This does not include college/continued education course work which is paid directly by the employee and then upon completion and passing the course, the City reimburses the employee.) Testing: Any class/licensing course which involves testing must be paid by the employee and will be reimbursed to the employee after he/she provides proof of having passed the test for the class/licensing course. Proof of payment and test score must be attached to the reimbursement request. Miscellaneous: Miscellaneous expenses which are reimbursable include: i. reference materials, ii. xerographic or typewriting services iii. rental of office machines in connection with preparation of official reports or correspondence iv. purchase of materials and supplies, when normal purchasing procedures cannot be followed; and v. rental of a room or other facility for the transaction of official business On occasion there are special circumstances in which a person will be reimbursed for items not included above. In such cases, each expense will need to be approved by the Department Head prior to consideration. 2 RESOLUTION N0. 02-8 FORM USED Travelers shall report travel expenses and account for travel advances by submitting a Travel Expense Voucher. You can download the Excel 7.0 version of the Travel Expense Voucher from the W: Everyone drive on the Network. OUT OF STATE TRAVEL All out of state travel is allowed if authorized by City Council prior to the trip or disbursement of advances. PIease attached backup showing the authorization for the out of state trip. CITY PAYMENT FOR SPOUSES In the interest of obtaining maximum value from certain functions, there is merit in attendance by the spouses of delegates. In such instances, the City will pay for the spouses' expenses as if he or she were a delegate. Functions for which this section applies are: a) Dinner Meetings of the Riverside County Division of the League of California Cities. b) League of California Cities Annual Conference (summer and winter). c) Dinner Meetings of the California Contract Cities Association. d) Dinner Meetings of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments. e) Such other functions as may be specifically recommended by the City Manager and approved in advance by the Mayor or City Council. TIME LIMIT FOR SUBMISSION A Travel Expense Voucher must be submitted to the Finance Department within 10 days after completion of the trip unless there is recurring local travel, in which case vouchers may be submitted monthly. REOUIRED INFORMATION The traveler shall provide all information requested on the Travel Expense Voucher, along with an explanation of unusual items, copies of any written authorizations, and any other information required by the travel policy. All expenses for a trip should be reported on ONE Travel Expense Voucher. Supplemental vouchers may be submitted if necessary, but they must be clearly marked "supplemental" and must be accompanied by a photocopy of the original voucher. The Travel Expense Voucher must show the inclusive dates and the times of departure and return of each trip for which allowances are claimed. 3 KKJULUllUN NU. UL-S DOCUMENTATION Receipts: The original of the following items must be submitted with the Travel Expense Voucher: (1) Stubs or carrier's copy of transportation tickets. (2) Receipts for local transportation. (3) Receipts for each miscellaneous expense. (4) Receipts for all lodging. (5) Please tape all receipts to a full sheet of paper and attach them to the travel voucher in the same sequence as the entry of their totals on the voucher. Identify or clearly reference attachments. Please indicate the exchange rate used for each receipt when applicable. ORIGINAL RECEIPTS NOT AVAILABLE In cases where original receipts have been lost or are otherwise unavailable, a traveler can submit a "Declaration of Missing Receipt" located on Attachment A (at the end of this policy) with his/her Travel Expense Voucher in place of a missing original receipt. The completed form will be accepted by the Finance Department as adequate documentation. It is intended that the form will be used only in unusual situations when either an original receipt is unavailable or lost. Acceptance of the form is subject to the frequency of its use and the explanation for the unavailable receipt. APPROVAL AND CERTIFICATION OF TRAVEL EXPENSES The traveler and the person approving payment should sign the typed travel voucher after the traveler claiming reimbursement reviews it. The voucher must be approved for payment by the department head or a person to whom such authority has been delegated, as evidenced by a Signature Authorization Form on file with the Finance Department. ADVANCE CASH OR CHECK Requests for advances should be submitted on the Request for Payment -Travel or Cash Advance. The Finance Department requires seven (7) business days to process these requests PRIOR to the date it is needed. Advance requests must be approved by the Department Head or his/her authorized representative. Such approval will constitute not only approval as to reasonableness of amount, but also verification that such travel will be for official City business. Hotel: Anytime a hotel is required for seminar/conference attendance, the full hotel fees and bed tax should be advanced to the hotel prior to the date of the event. Upon return from the seminar/conference an original receipt is required in order to clear the advance. Any expenses incurred by the employee attending the seminar/conference shall not be paid until a receipt is provided. 4 RESOLUTION NO. 02-8 Cash: Cash advances may be taken by art employee prior to the seminar/conference in order to cover any expenses they should incur. Generally, cash is advanced at a rate of $100.00/day, unless otherwise authorized by the Department Head. Upon return from the seminar/ conference, all original receipts must be attached to a Travel Expense Form and submitted to Finance in order to clear the advance. All receipts are audited and filed with the original advance request. Any money remaining shall be given to the Finance Department for receipting. Failure To Clear Advances in a Timely Manner: If outstanding advances have not been recovered within 30 days from the date the accounting for the trip was due, the Finance Technician shall, in the absence of extenuating circumstances, forward a list of those who are late to the City Manager. The City Manager will determine what actions is required. Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) requires that advances be cleared quickly or risk having all advances treated as wages to the employee(s). 5 RESOLUTION N0. 02-8 ATTACHMENT A DECLARATION OF MISSING ORIGINAL RECEIPTS AND/OR PAYMENTS MADE ON BEHALF OF "CITY OF PALM DESERT. Individual Receipts of $50 or Tess. Instructions: Copy this form as needed. Attach this completed form to the Travel Expense Voucher in place of a missing original receipt. Complete this form for missing original receipt(s). Also, only complete the appropriate section that applies to the type of payment made. 1, _ , declare that: (Name) 1. I disbursed personal monies on behalf of the City of Palm Desert as follows: (A) Date: Vendor Name: Vendor Address: Description of Payment: (B) Date: Vendor Name: Vendor Address: Description of Payment: ( C) Date: Vendor Name: Vendor Address: Description of Payment: Amount Paid: $ Amount Paid: $ Amount Paid: $ Total $ 2. The original receipt is not available. The reason (i.e. Could not be obtained, lost, etc.) is as follows: I hereby certify that the above information is true to the best of my knowledge. Date: Department Head Approval: Date: Signature: Signature: 6