Washington County updates overnight travel policy to allow controlled county credit cards for attendees

Washington County supervisors voted on June 24 to update the county’s overnight travel policy, removing a redundant approval step for out-of-state travel that is already included in departmental budget plans and establishing a controlled county credit-card process for employees who attend conferences.

County administration staff told the committee the revision responds to practical check-in problems when an employee lacks the specific credit card used to guarantee a reservation. Under the change, the county will provide a county card for approved overnight travel; employees must sign for the card and use it only for authorized expenses. “We will supply the credit card to the employee. They have to actually sign, you know, what the use of the card is,” an administration staff member said.

Supervisors asked whether cards would have spending limits; staff replied that limits can be set and the card must be returned after travel. Supervisors also discussed the policy change that removes a requirement to bring out-of-state travel back to the committee if it was previously approved in departmental budget workshops. Administration staff said the earlier budget-review process already captures planned conferences and reduces the need for repeated committee approvals.

Board members debated the tension between cost control and maintaining staff access to training. One supervisor warned against blanket denials in years when budget pressures increase, saying some credentials and continuing education can be critical for service delivery. “There’s a possibility… we may not have the knowledge that’s needed to do our jobs” if training is cut, a supervisor said.

The committee approved the policy update by voice vote and directed staff to implement the card-use process with signed employee acknowledgments and spending controls. Staff said cards will be set to limit allowable transactions and returned after travel.