Wichita County Commissioners' Court discussed whether to raise the county's meal per diem during its June 13 meeting, with members and staff agreeing to draft a policy revision for later approval.

Commissioner Matt (first name used in the transcript) explained the county has paid $20 per meal for some time and that federal M&IE (meals and incidental expenses) rates now put some popular destination cities at about $80 per day. "The county's rate has been the $20 per meal," Matt said, noting that many conferences and hotels charge substantially more in cities such as Arlington, Fort Worth and Austin.

Commissioners discussed three options: (1) increase the flat per‑meal rate across the board; (2) adopt a location‑based table tied to federal M&IE zones; or (3) maintain current rates and reduce travel. Several members favored a modest, uniform increase rather than a more complex location matrix. One commissioner proposed a $5 increase per meal as a simple fix; another suggested a flat daily rate for full days. The transcript included federal M&IE examples cited in court: an $80 daily rate with a typical breakdown of roughly $20 for breakfast, $22 for lunch and $33 for dinner in certain Texas cities.

Members noted the personnel policy and the mechanics of reimbursement matter (the court must reconcile pay for hours away and the reimbursable meal allowance). Matt said he would coordinate with Tanya to draft revised policy language and return it to the court: "It gives me what I need and I'll submit the… revision to the policy, and we'll send it for court to review and approve."

No formal vote or amendment was taken at the meeting. Commissioners discussed travel advances, documentation (agendas and hotel information) required for advances, and the county practice of not reimbursing meals included in conference registration. Several commissioners said modest increases that keep rules simple would be acceptable. The court asked staff to prepare a draft revision of the personnel/travel policy for future consideration.