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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06. Travel Procedure Update 6m JAM Central Contra Costa Sanitary District February 1, 2017 TO: HONORABLE BOARD OF DIRECTORS VIA: ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER FROM: PHILIP R. LEIBER, DIRECTOR OF FINAN,-QEeDMINISTRATION THEA VASSALLO, FINANCE MANAGER "I SUBJECT: TRAVEL PROCEDURE UPDATE Introduction On January 17, 2017, the Administration Committee reviewed the Travel Policy (BPOo8) as part of its annual policy review. A situation was discussed that the Committee believed warranted further consideration before recommending adoption of the policy for another year. Issue The Administration Committee discussed the situation of reimbursement to Board members for meals while traveling on District business. Current practice (as specified in the AP 008, Travel Expense Reimbursement Procedure) reimburses Board members for the actual costs of meals, based on receipts, with a cap of the Federal per them amount by meal Discussion was held regarding certain instances where this was inadequate, specifically when travelling into a city during the evening and arriving at an hour where reasonable local dining choices were not available apart from hotel room service. In this instance, the cost of the meal may exceed the Federal per them amount for a dinner. Recommendation The Travel Expense Reimbursement Procedure will be modified to provide additional flexibility to avoid curtailing the meal reimbursement in the above circumstances. Board members will continue to submit receipts and will be reimbursed for actual meal costs not to exceed in aggregate, the daily Federal per them meal limit (or 75% of that limit for the first or last day of travel). No Board action is required, as no change to the Travel Policy is required. This change will be implemented through the following edits to Section 7 of Travel Expense Reimbursement Procedure: TRAVEL PROCEDURE UPDATE February 1 . 2017 Page ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS AND REIMBURSEMENT PROCEDURE ... 4. Meals In General &4ea|e will be reimbursed /n accordance with the Meals and Incidental Expenses (K8&IE) ' allowance established by the Federal General Services Administration (GSA for the location of travel website Receipts are not required for yWfL|E with the exception for Board Members. M&|E include all nnea|o, room aen/ioe. |aundry, dry cleaning, pressing of o|othing, fees and tips for persons who provide aen/ioem' such as food servers and luggage handlers. Reimbursements are not provided for meals that are paid for as part of the conference registration as noted on the confirmation. The daily per them rate should be adjusted by the traveler ifmeals are included o1the conference. Snacks and continental breakfasts such aarolls, juiceand coffee shall not beconsidered meals. Reimbursement should not be o|eirned in the event actual expenses were not incurred. Additional exceptions are noted below. Conferences For the first day and last day of travel, the reimbursement for each day will be 75% of the IRS rate for the location. Justification must be provided if this is not followed. Local One Day Training/Seminars Per diem for one-day 1naininga/oerninans will not be paid if rnee|e are included. If meals are not ino|uded, one meal reinnbunyemnen1, either breakfast or lunch, will be provided at staffs discretion with receipto, not to exceed the GSA meal rate for the area. Employees should provide backup rnateria|s, when posaib|e, to show that meals were or were not included as part of a conference/training. Attaching agenda or registration that shows this information would be helpful. Reimbursements outside of these stipulations need to be approved by the General Manager. .... 7. Travel Reimbursement Reports In accordance with Government Code 53232.3 and Assembly Bill 1234, elected and appointed officials are required to submit receipts documenting each expense claimed. All documents related to reimbursable agency expenditures are public records, subject to disclosure under California Public Records Act. If a required nauaipi is mimsing, a written detailed explanation of the charge must be provided The District shall reimburse Board Members for actual and necessary meals and incidental expenses documented with receipts, in an amount not to exceed IRS reimbursement rates for the geographic location. For the first or last day of travel, the maximum dailv meal reimbursement to Board members will be applied in the aggregate to all meals and shall not a'.P. a...rneynt net teexoeed 75% of the d1qJy IRS reimbursement rates for the geographic location.