Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews proposed meals and travel policy; staff to tighten OFM/GSA references and travel comparison requirements
Summary
Finance staff presented a draft meals and travel policy aligned to state auditor and Office of Financial Management guidance. Councilors asked for clearer instruction referencing OFM per‑diem charts, a more detailed Exhibit C and a worksheet/process to compare driving versus flying for cost reimbursement decisions.
City finance staff led a workshop on Aug. 5 to review a proposed municipal meals and travel policy designed to meet state auditor expectations and align with Office of Financial Management (OFM) and other guidance. The draft policy would establish per‑diem options, receipts‑based reimbursement and procedures for authorizing travel and related expenses.
Why it matters: The city currently lacked a comprehensive meals and travel policy; the state auditor’s office recommends written rules to reduce risk and ensure consistent treatment of out‑of‑town travel and meals. The draft is modeled on guidance from OFM and Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC).
Key elements and council feedback: Staff proposed that mileage follow OFM‑prescribed rates and that per‑diem rates be set by the applicable federal/state tables. Council members requested more explicit language in the policy pointing staff to OFM/GSA per‑diem tables (the draft already references OFM) and asked staff to include the applicable rate exhibits with the policy so users can access them without hunting for external links.
Per‑diem versus receipts: The draft allows employees to choose per‑diem cash advances or reimbursement with receipts. Councilors emphasized administrative simplicity for non‑director employees and supported per‑diem as the default for many trips, while retaining receipts‑based reimbursement as an option when appropriate.
Driving versus flying: Multiple council members recommended adding a simple worksheet or standardized justification on the travel request form for trips where an employee wants to drive instead of flying (or vice‑versa). The worksheet would document the comparative out‑of‑pocket and time costs (airfare plus parking or ride‑share, versus mileage, parking and travel time) and require department‑level approval to pay the lower of the two amounts when employees choose a more expensive mode for personal reasons.
Other procedural items: Council asked staff to add clearer guidance on allowable incidental transportation (parking, ride‑share, shuttle fees) in the policy exhibits and to provide a form handling prohibited purchase reimbursements (a form staff said they would add). Staff said they will revise Exhibit C and other attachments, then bring the draft back for further review.
What the council did: Council did not adopt a final policy at the workshop. Staff were asked to revise the draft to incorporate OFM/GSA references, add a travel comparison worksheet to the request form, and include more detailed exhibits on per‑diem rates and reimbursable items for presentation at a future workshop.
