Committee moves Chapter 7 meal‑reimbursement rewrite to first reading, seeks to close P‑card loophole

The Dunn County Executive Committee on Jan. 14 discussed a proposed amendment to Chapter 7 of the county’s Financial Management ordinance intended to clarify employee meal and incidental reimbursements and to close an identified P‑card loophole.

Supervisor Vaughn Hedlund told the committee the Administration Committee vetted the language and concluded the rewrite “really simplifies some things.” Staff and supervisors said existing ordinance language allows a per‑diem option in principle but that practice has generally required meal‑by‑meal reimbursement submissions; the proposed amendment would explicitly permit a per‑day reimbursement option and attach reimbursement limits to P‑card purchases so that the same caps apply whether an employee uses a P‑card or seeks reimbursement.

Hedlund and County Manager Dan Dunbar emphasized that the rewrite is intended to align internal procedures with the county’s upcoming ERP system and to make daily reimbursements easier to process. Hedlund said the change is not presented as evidence of misuse but as a technical correction: “So we’re just closing that loop as we did that,” he said.

The committee scheduled a first reading of the ordinance for the full County Board meeting next week; no final vote was taken at the Executive Committee. The Administration Committee will present its recommendations at that meeting.