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Crest Hill council adopts training, conference policy requiring receipts and reporting
Summary
Council adopted a new elected-official training and conference policy requiring registration through the administrative assistant, receipts for incidental expenses up to $100 per day (with a $300 conference cap for IML), and finance reporting within 45 days. The policy passed after debate on receipts versus per diem.
The Crest Hill City Council voted July 6 to adopt a formal policy for elected-official training and conference expenses that sets procedures for registration, reimbursement and post-conference reporting.
City Administrator Blaine Wing outlined the policy, saying registrations for training and conferences will be processed through the administrative assistant and that reimbursement for transportation and incidental food/snack expenses will require receipts up to $100 per day, with a $300 limit for the Illinois Municipal League (IML) conference. "If somebody chooses not to attend a training or conference for at least the two-day minimum, that person would need to reimburse the city," Wing said, adding that the finance department will create a report of all expenses and present it to council within 45 days of the training or conference.
Council debated requiring receipts versus a per-diem approach. Alderman (speaker 4) called per diems "simpler," while others argued receipts provide better transparency. "For transparency, we should keep the receipts," one council member said during the debate. The motion to adopt the policy (moved by Alderman Oberlin, seconded by Alderman Gonzales) passed with two recorded 'no' votes (Dorel Jefferson and Nate Albert).
The policy also stipulates that if an official cancels for nonemergency reasons, the official must reimburse the city for incurred expenses, and exceptions must be requested in writing and approved by council.
