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Wichita County removes $285 cap on employee travel advances
Summary
The county commissioners voted unanimously to remove a longstanding $285 maximum on travel advances, allowing employees to request advances equal to expected out-of-pocket travel costs subject to departmental budget checks.
Wichita County Commissioners on Tuesday voted 5-0 to remove a $285 cap on employee travel advances, replacing the fixed ceiling with a policy allowing advances up to the total estimated travel expense once department budgets are cleared.
County finance staff said the change was intended to reduce out-of-pocket exposure for employees traveling on county business and to align the county form with federal guidance. Matt, a county finance staff member, told the court he reviewed Internal Revenue Service guidance and found “there is not a maximum” on advances, and that the county’s practice of limiting advances was an internal rule rather than an IRS requirement.
Under the revised form approved by the court, department heads or their designees must still confirm budget availability before an advance is issued. Commissioners emphasized that removing the numeric cap does not change budgeting controls: funds must be available in a department budget before an advance is processed.
Motion and vote: The motion to approve the policy change was offered by Commissioner Kincannon and seconded by Commissioner Mahler; the motion carried 5-0.
The court also asked staff to update the travel-advance form to remove language that suggested a capped percentage advance and to retain existing departmental review steps. The change takes effect immediately; employees will continue to submit advance requests through the county’s existing travel-advance form and supervisory approval process.
No changes to per-diem rates or the county’s reimbursement rules were recorded during the discussion.
Ending: County staff said they will circulate the revised form and examples to elected offices and department heads so personnel understand the changed advance calculation and continued budget checks.
