Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Administration Travel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Financial Operations outlines new Concur travel process, per-diem rules and reimbursement steps for board members
Summary
Melissa Harrington of Financial Operations briefed board members on the agency’s Concur travel system, updated per-diem and lodging rules, approval timelines for out-of-state travel, receipts and expense-report procedures, and a new mileage form that requires trip addresses.
Melissa Harrington, a Financial Operations staffer who manages board travel entries in Concur, briefed the board on the agency’s updated travel and reimbursement process and offered one-on-one help for upcoming trips.
Harrington said out-of-state travel must be fully approved in Concur 45 days in advance; overnight travel (in-state and out-of-state) should be entered on the agency’s overnight travel intake form. "If you know of some conferences and things that you're going to want to go to, just letting Sybil and I know sooner the better and get the intake form filled out," she said.
Key points Harrington reviewed: - Approvals and booking: Board leadership must approve out-of-state travel before staff enters requests. Financial staff enter travel requests and book flights; registrations can be paid by staff as authorized. - Concur login and profile: Board members should log into Concur via the state SSO/Utah ID. Members must complete the Concur profile (name matching ID, address, travel preferences, frequent-flyer or hotel numbers and a card on file if hotels are to be direct-billed). - Timelines: Out-of-state travel: 45-day advance approval. In-state travel generally requires 24-hour notice for approvals. - Per diems and receipts: Travel days receive 75% per diem for each travel day (first and last travel day); intervening days at 100% per diem. Save itemized receipts for all reimbursable expenses except meals covered by per diem. - Lodging: Travelers are eligible for lodging reimbursement when the destination is 75 or more miles from the primary residence (changed from 50 miles). Hotels may be booked through the conference block, state travel, or Concur depending on price and availability. - Car rentals and rideshares: Car rentals are eligible for in-state travel only unless preapproved for out-of-state. Uber/Lyft are permitted for out-of-state travel for business purposes and for travel to and from local airports; tips shown on receipts are reimbursable up to $5 or 20% of fare. - Mileage: A new mileage form requires specific addresses for each trip leg; Harrington said she will circulate the new mileage form and asked members to include exact destination addresses for reimbursements.
Harrington offered to provide one-on-one walkthroughs of Concur for any member who needs help and said she will circulate links to the intake forms, policy guidance and training materials after the meeting. "If you have an out-of-state travel that you're planning on going on, just reach out to me, and we can one-on-one go through the process, from start to finish," she said.
Board members asked questions about login recovery, the new mileage form, defensive-driving requirements for renting state vehicles, and the new Concur site. Harrington said payroll and onboarding handle the Utah ID login, she will send the new mileage form to the board, and defensive-driving training is needed only to rent state vehicles or use state fleet vehicles.
