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Supervisors ask staff to revisit shortened reimbursement timelines in expense policy update
Summary
The board reviewed proposed changes to employee travel and expense rules (CONUS alignment for meal/hotel rates; shortened reimbursement windows) and asked staff to refine timelines and transitional exceptions to avoid unintended hardship for employees who pay out of pocket.
County finance and the CEO's office presented proposed revisions to the county employee expense reimbursement ordinance on Oct. 7. The changes would align per‑diem and lodging guidance with federal CONUS rates and shorten the window for submitting reimbursements from 120 to 60 days in the stated policy.
County staff explained the intent to reduce administrative exceptions and align with prevailing market rates: meal rates would follow CONUS breakdowns and hotel reimbursement would be set at a percentage above CONUS. "We have done a lot of checking and brought it down to a rate that was still above what we found to be the market cost," the controller said in discussion. Several supervisors urged caution on the shortened submission timeline and asked for a compromise (90 days initially with a later move to 60 days or explicit exceptions for late submissions and clearer department card access for staff).
Supervisors asked staff to return with alternative timelines and implementation details, noting that many frontline employees pay for expenses on personal cards and that rapid changes risk leaving employees unpaid. The board did not adopt the ordinance at this meeting and asked staff to revise the proposal.
