Des Moines County work session questions nearly $2,000 mileage reimbursement after Reno training

Des Moines County held a work session on employee travel reimbursements after a staff member sought about $1,990 in mileage reimbursement for a trip to a national training in Reno. Chair opened the discussion saying, "That's a lot of money for mileage," and asked staff to explain the expenses.

A staff member who attended three trainings said the county applied to a State of Iowa training grant with a $3,000 cap and submitted expenses for three sessions in April, May and June to maximize the reimbursement. "For the $3,000 grant, we submitted for 3 different trainings to them for reimbursement to get the max of the 3,000 from the state of Iowa," the staff member said, and later gave the breakdown for the national training as about $400 for registration, $1,494.30 for hotel and $408 for meals, with a separate statement that meals ultimately totaled "$270.24." The staff member said those deposits had been made to the treasurer's office.

Board members challenged whether the county should cover mileage when grant rules and the county's own policies differ. One commissioner said they had expected the grant to cover travel costs and that the traveler would confirm whether mileage was allowable; "we were under the impression that it was not coming out of the county dollars," a commissioner said. The staff member said state guidance suggested turning in hotel, registration and meals rather than mileage because that could yield more reimbursement to the county.

Commissioners also questioned spending choices tied to outreach and training. One member criticized $1,800 spent on outreach hats, describing it as an avoidable expense that could have been allocated to training. The board discussed that the county has two county vehicles available on a first‑come, first‑served basis for long drives and that employees should coordinate scheduling with designated staff.

The group clarified mileage and meal rates: the traveler said earlier mileage reimbursements were paid at 30¢ per mile while state reimbursements had been about 50¢ per mile; another staff member confirmed the county rate had recently been raised to 57¢ per mile. The traveler said they had already been reimbursed the county/federal portion for some earlier claims and elected not to seek a small additional payment.

No formal motion or vote was taken. Commissioners asked for documentation and receipts ("Carla has those receipts," a speaker said) and directed staff to place the item on the agenda for a future meeting. An agency official recommended the board obtain legal advice before deciding; the official said they would review the matter and report back.

The board agreed to revisit the reimbursement after staff provide receipts and after the agency official completes a legal review.