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Board adopts updated travel policy after Administrative Advisory Committee recommendation
Summary
The Board adopted language clarifying travel-card use, reimbursement and transparency after a unanimous recommendation from the Administrative Advisory Committee; the policy emphasizes county cards for travel purchases and limits personal gain for employees.
The Klamath County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt an updated travel policy recommended by the Administrative Advisory Committee (AAC), aimed at increasing transparency and preventing personal gain for public employees.
Jeremy Morrison, vice chair of the AAC, told the board the committee had unanimously recommended changes after discussing items such as airline-mile accrual, seat upgrades and other incidental benefits. AAC members recommended treating such travel perks as nonpersonal benefits and increasing transparency around travel purchasing and reimbursements.
Under the policy the board adopted, county accounting or department credit cards should be used as the primary method to schedule and pay for travel. County staff said personal credit cards may be used only in emergency situations — for example, if a county card is not available or is not accepted by a vendor — and employees should seek reimbursement. Staff also said departments can prepare an authorization form allowing a named employee to use a department card when the card’s account name does not match a traveler’s name, which has created problems at some hotels.
During discussion, Commissioner DeGroot said he would declare a potential conflict of interest but then stated he did not believe the policy created a personal benefit and voted in favor. Another commissioner described the change as mostly language modernization rather than a substantive policy shift.
A motion to adopt the AAC recommendation was made and the board voted in favor; the chair recorded an aye and the motion passed. The transcript does not show a full roll-call tally in the excerpt.
