Parlier council approves mayor per diem conditional on outside coverage after heated debate over reimbursement

Mayor Alma Beltran will receive a city per diem for an April trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Parlier at a Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG) “One Voice” delegation — but only if Fresno COG does not provide a per diem, the City Council decided Thursday.

The funding decision followed an hours-long, sometimes heated discussion that also included a separate dispute over a check (No. 64085) on the council warrant. Council approved paying the warrant as a whole with that one check removed and a later attempt to pay that single check failed for lack of a second.

City staff presented a staff report saying the Fresno COG trip covers the mayor’s flight and hotel; the requested city expenditure — estimated at $550 — covers the mayor’s per diem (meals and incidentals) per the city’s travel policy. “The Fresno COG One Voice trip provides valuable opportunities for elected officials from the Fresno region to meet with federal officials and advocate for issues of local importance,” the report said.