County staff urges higher mileage pay; council backs 65¢ recommendation and narrower radius

Washington County staff raised concerns about the county's mileage reimbursement during the council meeting and sought a policy update to better cover employees who travel for official duties.

Stephanie Rocky reviewed current practice, noting the county rate remained 44 cents per mile and that many employees use personal vehicles daily for county business and training. She said her election mechanic drove 359 miles pulling a 20‑foot trailer and was reimbursed $157.96, and told the council that such cases "pained" her because staff effectively subsidize county operations out of pocket.

Rocky presented comparisons to federal and neighboring county rates and said some counties use a sliding scale tied to fuel costs. She suggested raising the county rate to 65 cents per mile and reducing the taxable/reimbursement radius from 50 to 40 miles to address travel for conferences and long drives. Council members expressed concern about abuse and asked that a written policy identify exceptions and conference locations; they agreed the personnel committee should draft a recommended policy and send it to the commissioners and council as part of budget preparations.

Council members said any rate change would affect department budgets and should be communicated to department heads during budget development. The change discussed that night was a consensus recommendation rather than an immediate formal motion; council members said they expected the personnel committee to bring a formal proposal through the established approval process.