PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Personnel Policy Adopted by Res.:

Transcription

1 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Personnel Policy Adopted by Res.: Personnel Procedures Approved: 10/4/ PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines and procedures for the authorization and reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by all employees when they are on City business. 2. ORGANIZATIONS AFFECTED: All departments/divisions. 3. REFERENCES: RCW POLICY: The City Manager shall establish guidelines and procedures for the authorization and reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by all employees when they are on City business. A maximum of $58.00 per day shall be allowed for food expenses, including tips and taxes. 5. PROCEDURES: A. All reasonable transportation expenses for approved travel (as defined in the following paragraphs) will be reimbursed. B. Travel Involving an Overnight Stay. Any travel involving an overnight stay for employees should have the prior approval of the or the City Manager, as appropriate. C. Pre-authorization of Travel. Employees traveling on City business on a trip that involves an overnight stay shall submit a travel authorization form to the Finance Department. The travel authorization form will include a complete estimate of the costs of the trip, including conference registration, transportation, lodging, meals, vehicle rentals, and incidentals. The travel authorization form will also include the purpose of the trip, the dates of travel and other pertinent details. The completed travel authorization form, including the appropriate authorizing signatures must be submitted to the Finance Department before departure. The appropriate authorizing signatures required are as follows:

2 1. Type of Travel Overnight travel by Department Director Overnight travel by other City employees Use of rental vehicle by other City employees Out of state travel by any City employee Page 2 of 5 Required Approval City Manager or designee The City Manager shall also review overall plans for training and travel through their analysis and approval of annual training plans submitted by each department as part of the biennial budget. Nothing herein precludes department directors from authorizing travel in emergency conditions without following the pre-authorization procedures outlined herein. D. Reimbursement of Travel Expenses. 1. Transportation Costs. Reimbursement costs for transportation will be at the cost of the most reasonable means of transport. For example, airline costs will be reimbursed at a coach rate. If an employee or official chooses to fly first class, the City will reimburse only at the coach rate and the employee/official must pay for the difference. Efforts should be made to book air travel at least two weeks or more in advance to take advantage of lower rates. s are responsible for ensuring the method of travel chosen by their employees is the most cost effective. Frequent flyer miles earned accrue to the individual and not the City, but should not be the criteria for selecting a flight if lower cost alternatives are available. a. Travel Time. In most employee travel situations, compensation for travel time shall be pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act. In some cases the department director may authorize employees traveling as passengers outside their normal work hours to be compensated for their travel time if doing so would be more cost effective and more convenient than having the employee travel the day before and stay overnight. b. Hotel/Motel Accommodations. Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed at the rate of the single room rate per person. Government or discount rates should be obtained whenever possible. s are responsible for determining the most cost effective means of arranging for hotel/motel accommodations.

3 Page 3 of 5 c. Meals. Reasonable costs of necessary meals while conducting City business are reimbursable, with prior approval, to the following amounts, including tip and taxes. Breakfast $14 Lunch $16 Dinner $28 i. Receipts are not required for per diem reimbursements. ii. iii. iv. Reimbursement requests must specify the function attended, date and place for purposes of auditing. The cost of meals for official functions (political or professional organizations - usually include speaker and/or room rental) will be paid at full actual cost, even if the cost exceeds the rates above. Tips are allowable up to 20% and should be considered as a part of the maximum allowable amount. v. Reimbursement will not be paid for alcoholic beverages. vi. vii. Reimbursement will not be paid for expenses for spouses, guests, non-employees or other persons not authorized to receive reimbursement under these procedures or State regulations. Reimbursement may be claimed by one person for several employees or officials eating together, as long as all the names are listed on the reimbursement claim. E. Per Diem for Out-Of-Town, Overnight Meals. When traveling out of town overnight, employees will receive a per diem allowance for meals rather than submitting a request for individual meal reimbursements. No receipts are required for meals reimbursed under this section. A maximum of $58.00 per day shall be allowed for food expenses, including tips. However, an employee may obtain prior approval from the Finance Department for reimbursement of reasonable expenses exceeding the daily food allowance based on the location of the event to which they are traveling. In such cases, the employee must submit itemized receipts for any reimbursement claims. F. Incidental Expenses. Reasonable costs for parking, taxis, buses, rental cars (if necessary), etc. will be paid if itemized on the claim form and accompanied by a receipt. Use of rental cars must have prior approval via

4 Page 4 of 5 the travel authorization form. The cost of long distance telephone calls to the City for City business will be reimbursed, and one telephone call home per day of reasonable length will be reimbursed. G. Travel by Automobile. When automobile transportation is necessary, a City vehicle or public transportation shall be used whenever practical. If no City vehicle is available for out-of-town travel, employees are expected to utilize rental cars through the City s approved rental car agency. Employees are encouraged to utilize vehicles provided by the City, but they have the option to decline a City vehicle or rental car and utilize their personal vehicle. In such case, reimbursement of mileage for utilizing personal vehicles is contingent upon available budget and pre-approval of the. In the event that neither a City vehicle nor approved rental car are available for City business, mileage for the pre-approved use of personal vehicles by the department director will be reimbursed at the IRS allowable mileage rate. Employees using their personal vehicle from home to a destination different from their usual work site are reimbursed for miles driven in excess of their usual commute to and from work. The IRS rate will be published by the Finance Director by memo at the beginning of each calendar year. Employees using their personal vehicles for City business are advised to review their personal auto insurance for coverage of such use, and maintain automobile liability insurance in accordance with RCW Employees who do not maintain minimum liability coverage shall not operate privately-owned vehicles in an official capacity. H. Reporting of Actual Expenses. All actual eligible expenses should be reported on an expense reimbursement request form to be filled out by the employee within fifteen days after completion of travel. Receipts must be attached for all expenses claimed, with the exception of per diem for meals. Expense reimbursement requests should be signed by the same party originally approving the travel and filed with the Finance Department for processing. I. Advance Travel Fund. An Advance Travel Fund was created by City ordinance. The purpose of this fund is to provide reasonable allowances in advance of travel to minimize the impact on the personal finances of employees and officials when they are traveling for the benefit of the City. This fund is to provide cash for what would normally be out of pocket expenses for the employee. It is not to provide room deposits or pay conference fees that should be paid by a City credit card or through accounts payable. Requests for advance travel funds must be made on the travel authorization form and submitted to the Finance Department a week in advance of the employee s travel. Amounts requested shall be available in the Finance Department the week before travel, provided the completed form has been submitted with all the required signatures.

5 Page 5 of 5 A fully itemized claim for expense reimbursement, along with any unexpended portion of the advance, must be submitted to the Finance Department within fifteen days of the close of the authorized travel period for which expenses have been advanced. Any amounts not accounted for with the fifteen day period shall bear interest at the rate of ten percent per annum from the date of default until paid (RCW ). J. Responsibilities. The Finance Director is responsible for administration of these procedures, including the design of forms and review of forms submitted for compliance with state regulations and guidelines established by the State Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for adopting procedures for the administration of Council policies. It is the responsibility of the employee incurring the expense to fill out a travel authorization form before traveling and to obtain the necessary approvals. The employee is also responsible for filling out an expense reimbursement form when they return, obtain the necessary department approvals, and file it with the Finance Director in a timely manner. For department directors, the City Manager shall approve expenses and travel pre-authorization forms.