1.01.001_Travel and Expense PolicyCITY Or ROHNERT PARK
TRAVEL/EXPENSE POLICY
PURPOSE
Policy #: 1.01.001
Type: CM Admin.
Effective Date: 1981
Former Policy #: 128.08
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the expenditure of public funds for
authorizing attendance, travel and reimbursement of expenses for City employees, attending
conferences, training, meetings and other City related business. Council Members,
Commissioners and Board Members, Contract Employees and Consultants are not covered under
this policy.
Business travel is defined as authorized attendance at conferences, meetings and seminars or
authorized travel for any other purpose in connection with official City responsibilities. Business
travel includes day trips and trips requiring one or more overnight stays.
GENERAL
The City of Rohnert Park encourages and promotes training and education of its staff. However,
personal business should not be mixed with official business if it will cost the City anything in
dollars and lost time, or if it will harm the City's interests in any way. This policy assumes
mutual trust between the City and its employees.
These guidelines are not intended to address every issue, exception or contingency that may arise
in the course of City travel. Accordingly, the basic standard that should always prevail is to
exercise good judgment in the use and stewardship of the City's resources. Many of these
guidelines simply reaffirm values in judgment that we already practice.
This policy is to assure that City employees adhere to procedures when arranging travel, lodging,
meals and other expenses. The City expects to pay all reasonable expenses incurred for travel,
conferences, meetings and meals as a result of conducting authorized City business. This policy
also assures that City employees will receive advances/reimbursements in a timely manner.
Travel and Authorization: Travel is distinguished between local and overnight. Funds must
have been approved in the adopted budget for both. Local travel must be completed within one
day and only automobile travel is authorized for these trips unless previously noted in the budget.
(The City's Vehicle Use Policy outlines the guidelines for all vehicle use for conducting City
business.)
Each Department Head shall be held responsible and accountable for the interpretation and
administration of the Travel and Expense policy within his/her department. Department Heads
will be expected to consult with the Director of Administrative Services and/or the City Manager
on any questions related to this policy. An individual may not authorize or approve
reimbursement for his/her travel; claim forms/expense reports must be approved by the
individual's supervisor.
Overnight travel by a Department Head must be approved in advance by the City Manager. All
temporary employees, contract employees or consultants must receive express authorization in
advance from the City Manage for all travel and conferences. The City Manager may authorize
the request subject to his/her discretion and subject to City Council approval.
Travel and meeting expenses are not intended for reimbursement of meals for departmental
meetings, which are attended by City staff only, especially when a meeting can be scheduled
during normal business hours.
Travel Arrany_ements: Travel arrangements shall be made as far in advance as possible to
obtain the best possible fares and rates. If travel arrangements must be cancelled for any reason,
the person who made the arrangements shall cancel them in sufficient time to prevent the City
from incurring unnecessary costs.
If travel involves the purchase of airline tickets, all arrangements must be made through the City
Manager's office. Cooperative purchase agreements will be utilized in the purchase of tickets
whenever feasible, price and other factors considered. If necessary, the City will contract with a
local travel agent chosen through a competitive bid process.
Any discount coupons, frequent flyer miles, etc., are the property of the City of Rohnert Park and
should be surrendered upon return to the City.
Transportation: Travelers shall use whatever mode of transportation is the most logical and
overall least expensive. These guidelines do not require you to take a bus, stay in a cheap motel
or eat at only fast food restaurants. A bus or train may cost less than a plane, but the added time
away from work can make this slower option more expensive to the City overall.
You are responsible for exercising good judgment in requesting, arranging and making a trip. If
an employee elects to use a mode of transportation other than the most logical and overall least
expensive, the City will pay only the cost of the most logical and overall least expensive. The
difference between the selected mode and the overall least expensive mode shah be considered
the employee's personal expense; and any additional lodging and meal expenses resulting from
the employee's selection shall be also paid by the employee. In addition, the employee shall
charge any additional time spent in route during normal work hours to vacation or a similar
leave. This paragraph does not apply to special accommodations made to qualified employees
under the American with Disabilities Act provided that the alternate mode of transportation is
approved in advance by the Department Head or City Manager.
If the most logical and overall least expensive mode of transportation is determined to be a City
vehicle or the traveler's private vehicle, the traveler shall comply with the City's Vehicle Use
Policy. Employees will be compensated for the use of their private vehicle at the current IRS
standard mileage rate. The Employees mileage shall be calculated from their designated work
site to the destination. The Employees who receive a car allowance will be compensated at the
current IRS standard mileage rate for all miles in excess of 75 miles in a single roundtrip.
To drive a privately owned vehicle on City business you must:
■ Possess a valid California Driver's License
• Carry liability insurance limits requested by the City's Risk Management Manual
■ Realize that any damage to the car, needed service or repair occurring on the trip will be
your responsibility.
The City will pay all expenses, such as bridge tolls and parking fees, incurred on City business.
Air travel on City business should be coach class. Take advantage of lower airfares by booking
flights as early as possible. You may sometimes avoid higher airfare by staying over a Saturday
night. In some instances, an extra night in a hotel/motel can be much less that the added cost of
the airfare.
Department Heads may consider taking different flights in case an emergency may occur in
flight. A generally accepted rule is to have no more than two members on the same flight, if
there is a strong possibility of danger while traveling.
Lodginp_: The City will pay lodging expenses for City employees during business travel
requiring one or more overnight stays. The City will pay for lodging for the evening preceding
or subsequent to a meeting or business event when the employee would have to travel at
unreasonable early or late hours to reach his/her destination. Such overnight stays shall be
preauthorized by the Department Head or City Manager.
Employees shall make an effort to obtain lodging at or near the facility were official City
business is to take place to minimize travel time and transportation costs. The City will only pay
for standard single rooms for individual employees. Single standard rooms at conference,
government or corporate rates shall be requested. Also, when making reservations, be sure to
ask about local transient occupancy tax (TOT): some cities .exempt travelers on City business,
some do not.
The City will pay for a double room only if two employees share a room. If a double room is
requested by an employee because he/she is accompanied by family members or guests, the
difference between the single and double room rate shall be considered the employee's personal
expense.
Employees shall cancel any reservations for lodging they will not use. Any charge for an unused
reservation shall be considered the employee's personal expense unless failure to cancel the
reservation was due to circumstances beyond the employee's control.
Meals: City will pay for an employee's meals during business travel and incidental expenses
(including snacks, tips and non -business telephone calls, etc. at a rate of $60.00 per day.)
The following per diem amounts (including beverages, taxes and gratuities) are allowed for
meals:
Breakfast
$12.00
Lunch
$18.00
Dinner
$25.00
hlcidental
$ 5.00
Total Per Diem
$60.00
Because of reimbursement limitations by other agencies (such as P.O.S.T.) or other budget
constraints, Department Head or the City Manager may authorize lower meal allowances. Any
reimbursements exceeding these allowances require approval by the Department Head or City
Manager,
In calculating meal allowances for partial days, the following guidelines should be used:
Departure
■ If you depart after 8:00 a.m., you may not claim meal for breakfast allowance for that
day.
■ If you depart after 2:00 p.m., you may not claim meal for breakfast and lunch allowance
for that day.
■ If you depart after 8:00 p.m., you may not claim all meal allowances for that day.
Return
■ If you return after 8:00 p.m., you may claim the full per diem meal allowance for that
day.
■ If you return between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., you may claim the breakfast and lunch
allowance.
■ If you return between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., you may claim the breakfast allowance.
General
■ If meals are provided without charge at a meeting or while in transit (rneals served on a
plane, for° example), appropriate deductions must be made from the per diem meal
allowance.
Alcoholic Beverages: City funds should not be used to purchase alcohol or reimburse
employees for alcohol related costs. The City Manager may approve exceptions to this policy on
a case-by-case basis for special receptions or other unique circumstances. This discretion applies
primarily to non -travel related expenditures such as special receptions and not routine travel or
meetings by City employees.
Spouses and Guests: Spouses and guests are welcome to accompany you on City travel and at
conferences, seminars and meetings. However, any additional costs associated with the
participation of your spouse or other guests are your responsibility.
Guests as passengers in City vehicles: Due to liability concerns, non -City employees should not
ride as passengers in City vehicles when it is not directly related to City business. However,
Department Heads or the City Manager may approve exceptions on a case-by-case basis, subject
to review by the Risk Manager.
Unauthorized Expenses: Items of a personal nature are not reimbursable including: movies,
entertainment, premium television services, alcoholic beverages, dry-cleaning, spas, gyms,
barber/hairdresser, magazines, shoe shines, travel insurance, purchase of clothing or toiletries,
loss oftickets, fines or traffic violations, excess baggage costs, spouse and/or guests
accommodations, repairs to personal vehicles, office equipment and other items of personal
nature. Optional tours, banquets or other activities not related towards professional advancement
offered through the conference, but at an additional cost to registration, are solely at the
discretion of the employee and will be considered as a personal expense.
If unauthorized expenses have been paid by the City by credit card, cash advance or petty cash,
the employee will be responsible for reimbursement within 10 days to the City.
Accounting for Expenses: When you return from your trip or official function, a final
accounting of all expenses must be approved by your Department Head or City Manager and
submitted to the Finance Department within ten (10) working days. An expense report is
required in all cases with all required receipts attached.
Payment for allowable travel expenses may be in the form of prepayment by City check, City
credit card payment, travel advances in an amount equal to estimated expenses and/or out-of-
pocket payments by the employee.
Any unused amount of travel advance shall be returned to the City. Non -allowable expenses
shall be deducted from any reimbursement due to the employee for out-of-pocket expenses.
Discretion: This policy does not claim to have addressed all contingencies and conditions.
Expenses will be reviewed for reasonableness based on price differentials in different cities.
Any necessary and reasonable expense that may from time -to -time be justified due to
circumstances or opportunities for the City, will be honored upon approval by the Department or
the City Manager. Those expenses will be reimbursed to the traveler with adequate
documentation and justification. Unnecessary or exorbitant expenses will be disallowed.
Original receipts and copies of the conference schedule will be required to substantiate
ALL expenses. No reimbursement will be granted without a receipt or outside the 10 -day
submittal restriction.