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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 99-361 RESOLUTION NO. _' Z .W BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT: THAT the City Council hereby approves the Travel Policy for reimbursement of expenses associated with City business-related travel. The Travel Policy is substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit "A." PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this the day of -�E'=Yar c� 1999. - Mayor - CITY OF BEAUMONT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL Policy Number: 6. 1 Subject: Travel Effective Date: December 7, 1999 Approved by: City Manager/Date Human Resources Director/Date 1. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to establish acceptable guidelines and procedures for the payment of travel expenses incurred by City employees or councilmembers, who in the performance of their duties are traveling outside the City. The term "City employee" is interchangeable with the term "councilmember" for this policy only. II. REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES Subject to the requirements and guidelines of this policy, all reasonable, necessary and ordinary expenses incurred in travel are reimbursable. A. Transportation - The mode of transportation is left to the judgment of the department director or councilmembers, who shall give due consideration to the time involved, safety, convenience, and cost of such transportation. 1. Air Transportation - Coach-class accommodations must be utilized unless circumstances dictate otherwise. When arranging air travel, departments may want to avoid fare restrictions that limit flexibility. However, if there is little likelihood that travel arrangements will change, airfare should be booked as early as possible and all discounts should be pursued. Two-for-one tickets are to be used only when both parties are City employees and both parties are on official City business. Airline tickets purchased for non-City employees should not be charged to the City. These tickets are to be paid for directly by the employee or the non-City employee traveling companion. 2. Personal Vehicle - Should a person use his/her personal car, he/she will be reimbursed at the City's standard mileage allowance (current IRS rate) for actual mileage, up to the cost of a round trip coach airfare. When more than one department employee or councilmember is traveling for the same purpose, carpooling is required unless such will cause undue hardship or time scheduling conflicts to occur. EXHIBIT "A" 3. City Vehicle - Where a department is assigned a City vehicle and more than one department employee is traveling for the same purpose, use of a City vehicle is required unless such will cause undue hardship or time scheduling conflicts to occur. A City-furnished vehicle should be used whenever it is reasonably available and a car is required for official travel. Employees will be reimbursed for gasoline, oil and emergency repairs which are purchased during travel if these purchases are supported by receipts which show the date, time, and location of the purchase. Non-city employees may not travel in City vehicles due to liability. 4. Rental Vehicle - Rental of a vehicle is authorized when it is more practicable and/or less expensive than the use of taxi cabs or other public transportation for official business. The size of the vehicle rented should be dictated by the number of staff traveling. An economy/compact car should be used when available. The cost of gasoline for the rental car is reimbursable. Receipts are required. 5. Other Transportation The use of hotel courtesy vans or other transportation services such as Super Shuttle should be used whenever available. The use of taxi cabs is reimbursable. Receipts are required for any transportation costs over $5 per transport. 6. Parking - Actual costs of parking are reimbursable with receipts. Parking meter fees and toll charges do not require receipts but a log showing the name and location must be submitted to receive reimbursement. B. Hotel/Lodging - The actual cost will be reimbursed when supported by a hotel receipt. Reservations should be made at the lowest rate available. If a guest accompanies an employee the incremental difference charged above the single occupancy rate is non-reimbursable. Lodging provided by family/friends is non-reimbursable. Meals, groceries, or gifts for people providing lodging to City employees is non-reimbursable by the City. C. Meals - Meals are reimbursable on a per diem basis. Under the per diem method, travelers will be reimbursed $38 per day for all meal and meal-related costs including gratuities. The time of departure from or arrival in Beaumont determines the meals eligible for reimbursement, according to the following schedule (assuming the claimant is based in Beaumont) : Leave from Beaumont Allowed Before 7 a.m. Breakfast Before 11 a.m. Lunch Before 6 p.m. Dinner 6. 1/Travel/12-1-99 Page 2 of 5 Arrive in Beaumont Allowed After 9 a.m. Breakfast After 2 p.m. Lunch After 8 p.m. Dinner Partial per diems will be paid if some meals are not eligible for reimbursement. Meals ineligible for reimbursement are meals included in conference or seminar registration fees paid by the City. Partial per diem will be $8 per day for breakfast, $10 per day for lunch, and $20 per day for dinner. The maximum average daily rate of $38 is increased to $48 ($10 breakfast, $13 lunch, $25 dinner) for the following metropolitan areas: Boston, Massachusetts Chicago, Illinois New York City, New York Los Angeles, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California Washington, D.C. D. Registration - Registration fees for local and out-of-town conventions, conferences and workshops are eligible expenses. These must be supported by receipts which shall include the agenda or program identifying all activities that are included in the registration fee. E. Telephone and Other Business Communications Expenses for telephone, telex, overnight mail, and fax for City business are reimbursable. The validity of these expenses must be supported by an itemized bill or receipt. Personal calls (one arrival and one departure call) may be reimbursed up to a maximum of $5 for each call. F. Tips/Gratuities - Gratuities for meals are included in the per diem rate. Actual cost of gratuities for purposes other than meals, such as porters or bellhops may be allowed up to a maximum of $10 per day, limited to the day of arrival and/or departure of business trip. G. Spouse/Companion Attendance - Spouses/Companions travel at their own expense. Generally the difference between a single and double room rate is reimbursable to the City. No travel costs, whether for transportation, lodging, meals or cost of attendance to events, for spouses/companions are reimbursable by or chargeable to the City. III. ACCOUNTING FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES A. Advances - A cash advance of up to one hundred fifty ($150) dollars per day may be requested. Should an advance be requested it must be made on the standard form, "Travel Advance Request, " (Attachment A) and must allow for a five (5) working day processing time. 6.1/Travel/12-1-99 Page 3 of 5 An employee may be denied a travel advance if he/she: * Requests the advance less than five (5) working days before the advance is needed; * Has not submitted an expense report or previously completed travel; * Has not reimbursed the City for a travel advance which exceeded the actual cost of travel that has been completed; * Consistently submits the travel expense report late (more than five (5) days after travel is completed) . If the trip is canceled, the advance check must be returned immediately by the employee to the department. The department must void the check by clearly marking "VOID" on the check in ink and return it to the Controller's Office within five (5) working days. The check should not be held for later use. B. Expense Reporting - Upon returning to the City, the employee must personally complete and sign the standard form, "Travel Expense Report." The original report must be submitted to Accounting, along with the required documentation, within five (5) working days from the date of return. If a refund is due the City, the employee must submit a copy of the completed expense report along with remittance of the funds to Central Collections. The original expense report and a copy of the receipt of funds from Central Collections must be submitted to Accounting. The employee may indicate on the expense report that a payroll deduction is preferred. If reimbursement of funds are due to the employee, the employee must submit the completed expense report to Accounting. A reimbursement check should normally be issued with the next regular accounts payable check cycle. C. Approval - Department directors will approve travel requests for their respective divisions. Expense reports will be reviewed by Finance for compliance with this policy. Only those expenses authorized by this policy will be acceptable for reimbursement. 6.1/Travel/12-1-99 Page 4 of 5 City of Beaumont TRAVEL ADVANCE REQUEST Please complete this form to obtain an advance on travel expenses up to $150 a day for each day of travel. This request must be submitted to Accounting no later than five (5) working days prior to departure. Travel advance checks normally are not released until the last working day prior to departure. Please note that a travel advance is a payment made directly to the employee for anticipated cash expenses that he will pay directly from his/her pocket. It is not a payment made by the City on behalf of the employee, such as airfare, hotel deposits or seminar registrations. The Estimated Expenses section is designed to help you plan for cash expenditures. After figuring your total estimated expenses, subtract those that will be paid by credit card (i.e. hotel) or directly by the City (i.e. airfare, seminar fee) . The balance should reflect the amount of cash needed for other expenses, such as meals, taxi, etc. Upon returning, complete the Travel Expense Report form with all required documentation and submit to Accounting within five (5) working days. Employee Name Department/Division Purpose of Trip Departure Date Return Date Estimated Expenses No. of Days Away Room Total Amount Requested Meals Total amount requested may not exceed Transportation number of days away X $150 Total Estimated Expenses Account No. Approval Division Manager/Date Department Director/Date 6.1/Travel/12-1-99 Page 5 of 5