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Policy committee tables travel expense-reimbursement changes after debate over GSA per diem and receipts
Summary
Committee members debated a proposed expense-reimbursement policy that would standardize meal reimbursements using GSA per diem rates for out-of-state travel; members asked staff to clarify whether receipts would still be required and ultimately tabled the item for revision.
The Wallingford Board of Education policy committee on April 8 tabled proposed changes to the district's expense-reimbursement policy after a prolonged discussion about using federal GSA per diem rates for out-of-state travel and whether itemized receipts would still be required.
Staff explained the proposed change would standardize meal reimbursements by using the federal General Services Administration (GSA) meal and incidental expense rates based on travel location and length of travel. The presenter said the proposal "put in how many days you're going, that the city you're going to and this federal website calculates your meal reimbursement" and that the change was requested by the business office to standardize accounting.
Board members and staff debated several operational details: whether the policy applies only to out-of-state travel (staff said yes), whether receipts for meals would still be required, and whether using GSA rates should be a "not to exceed" cap rather than an automatic flat payment regardless of receipts. One board member said, "I 100% think that we need to ask for receipts." The presenter confirmed the current practice is itemized receipts are collected and said she would follow up with the business office.
Examples cited from the transcript included informal references to typical GSA daily meal rates (one member cited about $74 for some areas), but staff emphasized the policy would use the location-based GSA rate and that incidental expenses (tips, small fees) are included in the per diem calculation. The presenter said the shaded draft language included a suggestion from the business office that "Receipts are not required for meal expenses," and committee members asked staff to clarify whether that meant receipts would no longer be collected.
Action and next steps: after the discussion the committee tabled the expense-reimbursement policy and directed staff (including the business office) to revise the draft to specify whether receipts are required, clarify the GSA-rate implementation, and present the revised language at the next policy meeting. The presenter said she would "kick it back to Mr. Barone" for revision and bring it back in May.
Ending: Committee members said they preferred using GSA rates as a not-to-exceed cap while still requiring itemized receipts so the district pays actual documented expenses up to the per diem; staff will return with clarified language.
