HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity's Travel & Reimbrsmnt Policy ���—� City of Palm Desert
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Office of the City Manager
MEMORANDUM
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To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Carlos L. Ortega, City Manager
Date: October 19, 2007
Re: Amendment to the City's Travel and Meeting Reimbursement Policy
As a result of recent changes in State law with regards to City expense reimbursement
for spouses, I am recommending that the City Council amend the City's travel expense
guidelines.
Specifically, I am recommending that the section in Exhibit A to Resolution 02-8 entitled
"City Payment For Spouses" be amended to reflect the following:
City Payment for Expenses
The City of Palm Desert recognizes the constructive value of professional conferences,
seminars, meetings, and training and provides travel funds for City officials and, at their
election, a traveling companion. City Council members and their traveling companion
shall be entitled to reimbursement for their reasonable expenses associated with travel,
meals, lodging and other actual and necessary expenses associated with attending
such events in a manner and in the amounts as set forth in this policy. This policy shall
apply where City Council members act as members of the City Council,
Redevelopment Agency and Housing Authority, and any other legal entity.
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.
Amendment to the City's Travel
and Meeting Reimbursement Policy
October 19, 2007 Page Two
e. Such other civic or governmental functions as may be specifically
recommended by the City Manager and approved in advance by
the Mayor or City Council.
CARLOS L. OR GA
City Manager .��Y :;:;����lL���I°xor�i
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ABSTAIN: -
VERIFI�D BY: -
Original on File wi City Clerk's OfficF
* {daived further reading and adopted Resolution
No. 07-72, as amended. 3-2 (Spiegel, Kelly NO)
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLU710N OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 02-8
ADOPTING TRAVEL EXPENSE GUIDELINES FOR CITY REPRESENTATIVES
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Desert City Council wishes to amend Travel Expense
Guidelines submitted by the Finance Director on February 14, 2002; and
WHEREAS,theTravel Expense Guidelines have been prepared forthe 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 of Palm Desert City Council of
the City of Palm Desert, California, that Travel Expense Guidelines (Exhibit"A") is hereby
amended as follows:
City Payment for Expenses
The City of Palm Desert recognizes the constructive value of professional conferences,
seminars, meetings, and training and provides travel funds for City officials and, at their
election, a traveling companion. City Council members and their traveling companion
shall be entitled to reimbursement for their reasonable expenses associated with travel,
meals, lodging and other actual and necessary expenses associated with attending such
events in a manner and in the amounts as set forth in this policy. This policy shall apply
where City Council members act as members of the City Council, Redevelopment Agency
and Housing Authority, and any other legal entity.
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 civic or governmental functions as may be specifically
recommended by the City Manager and approved in advance by the Mayor
or City Council.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Palm
Desert, California at its regular meeting held on the day of ,
2007, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
RICHARD S. KELLY, MAYOR
ATTEST:
RACHELLE KLASSEN, CITY CLERK
CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA
t
RESOLUTION NU. 02-8 EXHIBIT A �
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TRAVEL EXPENSE GLIIDELINES
ALLOWABLfi EXPENSES
Following any seminar/conference a!1 original,debiled receipts wilI need ta be
submitted to Finance for reimbursement. Expenses must be related to the
seminaz/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 duraiion of sarne. 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 onIy
reicnbursed for the portion vE the receipt which applies to them.
Expenses for any conference related gueats must be pie-approved
by your Department Head.
Tips: Tips in excess of 20°,6 will be fhe responsibility of the empIoyee.
Hotel: Hotel receipts must be submitted Eor reimbursement of any
expenses,especially if the hotel room was prepaid by the City.
Movie rentals aze not reimbursable. The City allaws employees to
stay the rtight before the seminar starts and the night after the �
seminar ends, if necessary,due to the earliness/Iateness of the
seminar/conference.
Airfare: Similaz to registration fees, airfare should be paid dixeckiy by the
City of Palm Desert. Airfare will be reimbursed for the equivatent
of coach airfare. You may use any trave(agent or intemet service
to purchase your ticket. 1f you use the League of California Cities .
airiine pass,yo�u may use Anteiope Travei 5ervice which knows �
how to process these Southwest auiine tickets at a$IO service fee.
Parking
Fees: Parking fees are reunbursable when a personal ar city vchicle is
used while attending a conference�seminar.
Miteage: Mileage is reimbarsable for personai vehicle asage at a rate af
$.345/mile. Mileage is calrulated by the tesser of the Civie Center
to conference destination or employee's home to conference
destina#san. Mileage will only be reimbursed at a rate equal to that
!
R�soi.UTION N0. o2-a
destination. Mileage�vill a�y be reirnbursed at a rate equal to that
of alternative means of transportation. (i.e. If you choose to drive
ko 5acramento instead of Elying, the maximum mileage
. reimbursement you can receive is equal to that af the airfare plus
. rental car/taxi). If a city or rental vehicle is used, gas receipts will
be necessary for reimbursement. A!t mileage is veriEied by the
Finance Department using Mapquest.com.
Phone: All business related phone ca11s are reimbursable (including one
ceasonably brief(10 minutes or less),non-emergency,personal call
home per day,if desired�.
Registratton: Registration shauld be paid ciirectly by the City prior to the
conference/seminar deadline. (This does not inciude cnlleg%ontinued
er}ucation course evork which is paid direcEly by the emplvyee and then
upon cvmpletion and passing the rnurse, the City reimburses fhe
ernployee.)
Testing: Any class f licensing caurse which involves testing must be paid by
the employee and will be reimbursed ta the empIoyee after he/she
provides proof of having passed the test for the class/licensing
course. Proof of payment and test score must be artached to the
reimbursement request.
� M�scellaneous: Miscellaneous expenses which are reimbursable include:
i, reference matex�ials,
ii. xerographic or typewriting services
iu. rental of office machines in connection with
preparatian of official reports or conespondence
i�v. gurchase oE 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 s�reciai cizcumstances in which a persan wilt
be reimbursed for items not incIuded above. In such cases,each
expense wiIl r►eed to be approved by the Department Head prior to
consideration.
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RESOLUTION N0. 0"L-8
FUru�t UsEo
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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
Vaucher frorn the W:Everyone drive on the Network.
OUT OF S'TATE TRAV EL
All out of state travel is allowed if authorized by City Councii prior to the trip or
disbursernent of advances. Please attached backup showing the authorization for the
out of state trip.
' f C.��rx Pnr�Et�rr Foz�S�vsEs
In the interest of obtaining rceaximum value Erom 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.
Functi�ns for which this secEion apRlies re:
a) Dinner Meetings of the Riverside County Division of the League of
California Cities.
b} Leag;ue of California Cities Annual Conference(suminer and winter).
c) L7inner Meetings of the California Contract Cfties Association.
d) Dinner Meetings of the Coachella Valley Association of Govexzunents.
e) Such othes functions as may be specifically recommended by the City
Manager and approved in advance by the Mayor or City Council. .
T;�LtNtIT FUR SUBMISSION
A Travel Expense Voucher must be submitted to Hie Finance Department within 10
days after compietaon of the trip unless there is recumutg Iocal travel, in which case
vouchers may be suhmitted monEh.ty.
REOUCRED INFOTiMATIgN -
The traveler shail provide all information requested on the Travel Expense VoucF�er, "
along with an explanation of unusual items, capies af any written authoriZations, and
any other information required by the traveI policy. Atl expenses far a trip shauld be
reported on OIVE Travel Expense Voucher.Supp(emental vovchers may be submitted if
necessary,hnt they must be clearly marked "supplemental" and must be accomparued
by a photocop� oF the original vaucher.The Travel �xpense Votichez rnust show the
inclusive dates and the times of departure and return of earh trip for which allowance.s
are claimed.
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�
�E50LUTI0� N0. 02-6
, D�CUM6M'A'I'ION
, Receipts: The orlglna!of the following items must be submitted with the Travel
Expense Vaucher:
; (1) Stubs or carrier's copy of transportation tickets.
(2) Receipts for local transportation.
(3) Receipts fflr each rniscellaneaus expense.
(4) Receipts for all Iodging.
(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 zeceipt when applicable.
��G1Nai.R�c�tPr$No�r AvnnnaLe
In cases where original receipts have been last or are otherwise unavailable,a traveler
ran submit a "Declaration of Misaing Receipt" located on Attachment A{at the end of
this poIicy)wifh his/her Tzavel Expense Vaucher in p[ace of a missing original receipt.
The completed form will be accepted by the Finance Department as adequaee
documentation. It is intended that the form wil[be used only in unusual situations
when either an origixlat receipt is unavailable or lost. Acceptance af the form is subject
to the frequency of its vse and the explanation for the unavailable receipt.
APPROVAL AND CERTLFICATION OF'Y�tAVEL EXPE�V$�S
i The traveler and the person approving payment should sign the typed travel voucher
� after the traveler clauning reimbuxsement reviews it.The voucher must be approved for
payrnent 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.
ADV ANCE CASH OR CHBCK
Requests for advances should be submitted on the Request for Payrnent Travel or Cash
Advance. The Finance Department requires seven(� business days to process these _-
requests PRIOR to the date it is needed.
Advance requests must be approved by tt►e Oepartment Head or his/her authnrized
representative.Such approval will constitute not only approval as to reasonableness of
amount,but also verificativn that svch travef wilI be for official City business.
Hotel: Anytime a hotel is required for seminar/conference attendance,the
Eull hotel fees and bed tax shputd be advanced to the hotel prior to
the date of the event. Upon retum from the seminar/conference an
ariginal receipt is required in order to ciear the advance. Any
expenses incuzred by the employee attending the
seminar/tonference shal!nat be paid until a receipt is provided.
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KESOLUTION N0. �2-8
Cash: Cash advances may be taken by an employee prior to the
semirtar/conference in order to cover any expenses they should
incur. Generally,cash is advanced at a rate oE$100.00/day,unless �
� otherwise au#horized by the Department Head. Upon return from
the serninar/conference,all original receipts must be attached to a
Trave!Expense Form and subrnitted to Finance in order to cleaz the
advance. AIl receipb are audited and filed with the original
advance request. Any money remaining shall be given to the
Finance Deparnnent for receipting.
Failure To Clear Advances in a Timely Mantter.
If outstanding advances have not been recovered within 30 days
frvm the date the accounting for the tsip was due, the Fiinance
Techni.cian shall,in the absence of extenuating circumstances,
forward a list of those who are Iate to the City Manager. The City
Manager will determine what acHons is required. Internal
Revenue Service(I.R.S.)requires that advances be cleared quickly
ar risk having all advances treated as wages to the employee(s}.
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