Johns Creek council trims reimbursements: professional memberships removed, meals tied to GSA per diem

At a work session discussion of the council's expenditure policy, staff presented five redline questions and council members debated guardrails for reimbursements. The mayor said he was "out for professional memberships," arguing little city benefit, while other members defended networking value; after extended discussion the body moved toward removing professional membership reimbursements from the qualified expenditures list.

On business meals, council agreed to require a purpose and attendee list for any reimbursement and to cap meals using the U.S. General Services Administration per diem by location so caps adjust with inflation. Staff recommended an inclusive list of qualified expenditures (only listed items allowed) with a small exception threshold for low‑dollar, staff‑handled items; council also agreed in principle to divide the remaining per‑member allotment for dues, education/training and hospitality so each councilor has a tracked allocation.

Council also agreed to remove "educational materials" from the reimbursements list (staff said registrations and training fees are already booked as training) and to strike "customary mileage" from the qualified list because the code of ordinances already covers travel reimbursement for trips outside the city. City Manager Kimberly said staff will draft a redline reflecting the group's consensus and will place it on the council consent agenda after final attorney review.

The changes are procedural and administrative; they do not enact a new ordinance but will change the council reimbursement process if adopted on consent. Staff will return the redline language and a tracking approach for per‑member allocations at the next meeting.