7 7.1
TRAVEL EXPENSES (Rev 7/1/2015) Policy A. All employees and the members of the City Council and the Mayor are required to follow and comply with the following regulations and limitations concerning City travel. B. The City will pay or reimburse employees for all reasonable and necessary travel expenses that are directly related to the performance of their assigned duties and which are properly authorized. C. Employees must submit an expense report on a City Travel Authorization Form and substantiate the amounts claimed as required below. (1) The City will not pay or reimburse any expense that violates commonly accepted standards of sound judgment and good taste. (2) Payment or reimbursement shall be made only for expenses actually incurred, and authorized under this policy and procedure. (3) If an employee has been authorized as a City credit card holder, he/she may use it for travel expenses only to the extent allowed by this policy (i.e., actual cost for lodging, parking, rental car, etc.) unless otherwise authorized in advance by the City Manager or Department Head. City credit cards should generally not be used for meals where travel per diem amounts have been advanced. (4) Travel authorizations for a total of not more than $250.00 may be approved by an employee’s Department Head. All travel authorizations for more than $250.00 must be approved in advance of travel by the Department Head, Finance Director and City Manager. (5) Mayor or City Council travel will be reviewed by the Finance Director to determine compliance with this policy and availability of budgeted travel funds, including specific allocations, if specified, to each elected official made during the budget process and approved by the City Manager. (6) Employees attending meetings within 50 miles of the City of Mesquite are not authorized to charge the City of Mesquite any meal per diem or lodging expense for the day before, if the meeting begins at or after 9:00 a.m. If an employee is traveling greater than 50 miles and returning to the City in the same day, the employee may receive a per diem on a case-by-case basis, subject to the Department Head’s approval. (7) Submission of a signed Travel Authorization Form, the traveling individual represents that the information contained therein is accurate and truthful. Any changes as to amounts, etc. will be initialed before any check is issued.
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7.2.
Allowances
7.2.1
Mileage
A. The City will make a City vehicle available for official use to employees when business travel within the City of Mesquite is required. B. If a personal vehicle is used at the option of the employee when a City vehicle is available for business travel, no mileage reimbursement is authorized. C. Mileage reimbursement will be provided to an employee who is required to travel within the City and no City vehicle is available for such travel. D. For out of town travel, if there are no City vehicles available and the employee must use a personal vehicle, mileage will be reimbursed at the standard mileage rate as established annually by the Internal Revenue Service for reimbursement of a personal vehicle used for business purposes. E. If an employee drives a personal vehicle when commercial air travel would be less expensive, the mileage reimbursement will be limited to the combined cost of the airfare, rental car expenses, airport parking cost and other cost that would be associated with air travel for the intended trip. Additionally, if employee chooses to drive when commercial air travel is available; the additional drive time will be considered employee’s personal time. 7.2.1-a Creditable Travel Time A. Compensatory Time Off for Travel 1) To the extent practicable, employees will not be required to travel during non-duty hours compensatory time off for travel must be granted if: a) The employee is required to travel away from the official worksite and b) The travel time is not otherwise compensated as hours of work B. Compensatory Time Off for Travel - Definitions 1) Definitions as related to the compensatory time off for travel policy are as follows: a) Extended or Unusual Waiting Times - refers to time between actual periods of travel in which an employee is free to rest, sleep, eat, or otherwise use this time for their own purposes and is not creditable as time in a travel status. b) Travel Outside the worksite - is travel more than 50 roundtrip miles from the official worksite. Travel within the worksite is not creditable for compensatory time off for travel. c) Usual Waiting Time - is the normal suggested time to arrive at a transportation terminal (an airport or train depot) before departure of a commercial flight or train. The suggested time varies usually from 30 minutes to 2 hours among airports or train stations. Usual waiting time is applied to each leg of a travel segment (i.e., up to 2 hours before originating domestic flights and a maximum of 2 hours for layover between connecting flights).
07-Travel Policy revised and adopted by City Council 7/1/15 gm
C. Compensatory Time Off for Travel - Creditable Travel Time 1) The following requirements must be met in order to be eligible for consideration: a) Travel outside of regular working hours must be ordered by the employee’s supervisor for the benefit of the city; b) Travel must be outside of the employee’s official work site (defined as more than 50 miles roundtrip for the purpose of this section); c) Time spent in a travel status must not be otherwise compensable hours of work under any other legal authority (e.g., availability pay, overtime pay); and 2) Time that is not considered creditable: a) Extended or unusual waiting periods are not creditable for compensatory time off for travel. Employees must report and deduct these extended waiting time periods. This includes delays due to cancelled flights, inclement weather, or missed connections. It is not creditable time even though it is outside the control of the employee; b) Commute time which an employee normally encounters on a daily basis and is considered usual home-to-work and work-to-home time even if the travel is completed on a non-workday, such as on a Saturday or a Sunday; and c) Time spent traveling in connection with union activities is not considered official travel and is not creditable for compensatory time off for travel. 3) Multiple days of travel: a) Only the first and last day of travel to a single destination assignment may be considered for compensatory time off for travel. b) If an employee travels to multiple locations on multiple days, then the travel time may be creditable when directed and performed during non-duty hours. 4) Multiple time zones: a) When travel involves two or more time zones, actual hours the employee spends in a travel status will be used to determine what will be considered creditable in the computation of compensatory time off for travel. 5) Alternative transportation: a) Travel must be by the most expeditious means of transportation practicable. The City must consider energy conservation, total cost to the City (including costs of per diem, overtime, lost work -time, and actual transportation costs) If an employee uses an alternate mode of transportation, it may result in additional time spent in a travel status. When a supervisor approves use of an alternate mode of transportation, it must be approved prior to the travel and a determination made on the estimated time in a travel status that would have been creditable for compensatory time off for travel had the employee used the authorized mode of transportation. b) When an alternative travel mode has been approved, the employee will be credited with the lesser of: 1) The estimated number of creditable non-duty hours in a travel status for the authorized mode of travel; or 2) The actual time of creditable non-duty hours authorized as an alternative. 07-Travel Policy revised and adopted by City Council 7/1/15 gm
a. See the decision logic tables below to determine compensatory time for travel: If the travel originates and the employee travels to a location/alternate from or ends at the employee's worksite, residence
residence
official worksite
then, is the time spent traveling creditable for compensatory time off?
Within the worksite
No. This is considered normal home-to-work or work-to-home commute time.
outside the official worksite
Yes, minus the normal home-towork or work-to-home commute time.
worksite within the City
No. This is considered normal home-to-work or work-to-home commute time.
official worksite worksite outside the City
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Yes, minus the normal home-towork or work-to-home commute time.
If the travel originates from or ends at the employee's
and the employee travels to a transportation then, is the time spent traveling terminal, creditable for compensatory time off?
within the worksite
No. This is considered normal home-to-work or work-to-home commute time.
residence
outside the worksite
Yes, minus the normal home-towork or work-to-home commute time.
official worksite
worksite within the City
Yes. There is no commuting time offset. The employee has already commuted to the worksite.
official worksite
worksite outside the City
Yes. There is no commuting time offset. The employee has already commuted to the worksite,
residence
D. Compensatory Time Off for Travel - Manager and Employee Responsibilities 1) Managers/Supervisors are responsible to: a) Direct travel outside regular working hours and outside of the normal duty station prior to the travel occurring; b) Document the reason for directing the travel outside of regular working hours; c) Review employee requests to earn compensatory time off for travel and approve all time meeting regulatory and policy requirements; 1) Manage employee requests to use compensatory time off for travel earned; 2) Monitor the 26-pay-period time limitation for using credited compensatory time off for travel; and 2) Employees are responsible to: a) Plan directed travel in the most efficient manner; b) Track all travel time performed outside their regularly scheduled hours of work; c) Track unusual waiting times and delays experienced outside of regular hours of work while in a travel status; d) Submit a request to earn compensatory time off for travel e) Use accrued compensatory time off for travel hours within 26 pay periods after the time is credited. 07-Travel Policy revised and adopted by City Council 7/1/15 gm
3) Employees are responsible for providing the following information: a) Point of departure; b) Time of departure; c) Time spent traveling from the official duty station to the temporary duty station; d) Normal commute time between home and official duty station; e) Name and location of the transportation terminal; f) Number of miles from the official duty station to the transportation terminal; g) Transportation terminal recommended arrival time before departure; h) Layovers between connecting flights; and i) Extended waiting periods and delays.
7.2.2
Car Allowance Elected officials and certain employees pursuant to employment agreements receive a car allowance. In instances where staff or elected officials receive a car allowance mileage reimbursement will not be awarded for local or business travel within fifty (50) miles of Mesquite. If a business destination is more than fifty (50) miles distant from Mesquite the traveler will be reimbursed for mileage pursuant to 7.2.1 above for all miles over 100 miles roundtrip. Effective with the adoption of this policy any individual employment agreement with different terms will be implicitly updated to the terms of this section and the employee will immediately qualify for the updated car allowance.
7.2.3
Insurance Employee using personal car for City business must submit valid proof of insurance on an annual basis to the Personnel Department.
7.2.4
Lodging Moderate cost lodging should be arranged at the meeting/training site when possible. If moderately priced rooms are not available at the meeting/training site, then a moderately priced room near the meeting/training site should be arranged. Payment will be based on the cost of a single room, plus tax, if available. Travel reimbursement for lodging is for the employee only. Additional costs for spouse or family are the responsibility of the employee. The actual cost of lodging will be reimbursed to traveler based upon a hotel receipt that must be submitted with the travel request.
07-Travel Policy revised and adopted by City Council 7/1/15 gm
A.
The Travel Authorization Request Form must include the cost of the lodging for the specified period of travel. Travel advances or reimbursements will be made for per diem meal costs, as outlined below, air travel, car rental fees and registration fees, if any and as necessary.
B.
If a reservation is not honored or other circumstances beyond the control of the employee occur, and the employee obtains lodging at a higher rate than the payment for travel expenses, the employee may seek reimbursement for said additional cost by submitting a receipt for the lodging, together with an explanation and/or documentation for the failure to obtain lodging at the original paid amount.
7.2.5 Meals A.
The per diem allowance for meals and reasonable gratuities incidental to travel while on City business is reviewed and approved by Council as periodically recommended by the City Manager. Daily meal per diem allowances are reviewed periodically and are published on the Travel & Training Authorization form (Appendix C). Currently, meal period are defined within a 24 hour midnight to midnight timeframe. Per diem covered expenses include meals, beverages and tips. If the employee is not traveling the entire day, the out-of-town daily per diem allowance meal periods are defined as: Breakfast – 12:01 am – 7:00 am Lunch – 7:01 am – 6:00 pm Dinner – 6:01 pm – 12:00 am Travelers departing from or returning to their “home base” during a meal period will not be eligible for per diem allowances for the periods of departure or return from out-of-town travel. For example, if traveler leaves his/her “home base”: and returns to “home base” the same day, only the lunch per diem allowance is reimbursable. Instances where the traveler leaves the “home base” on the first travel day no breakfast per diem will be reimbursed. Similarly, when the traveler returns to his/her “home base” on a subsequent day, the lunch or dinner per diem allowance will likewise not be eligible for reimbursement.
B.
No per diem allowance shall be granted for any meal provided or made available to an employee that is included as part of the registration cost of a meeting class, conference or other function, regardless of whether the employee partakes of the provided meal or purchases his/her meal elsewhere. If such meals are provided, the employee shall not claim the per diem allowance for the appropriate meal per diem rate. Continental breakfasts or refreshments that may be included in the registration fees or airline meals are not considered as “meals” subject to the exclusion from the per diem allowance. If a conference or workshop is sponsoring a meal with a set price in excess of an individual meal per diem rate this higher
07-Travel Policy revised and adopted by City Council 7/1/15 gm
priced meal may be substituted for the specified meal per diem allowed rate. The employee is required to provide written verification of the cost of the meal, such as registration forms, and/or seminar literature, to document any special situations. A conference registration form must be submitted with the Travel Authorization Request that shows conference meeting agenda. 7.2.6
Other Expenses Necessary City business telephone calls at the meeting site, parking charges, and/or ground transportation are reimbursable. The City will not normally pay for rental cars. If incurrence of such an expense is necessary, advance written authorization from the City Manager or Department Head is required. If a rental car expense is authorized through the Travel Authorization form, there will be no reimbursement for the additional insurance offered by the rental agency as the City insurance provides collision coverage on authorized rental vehicles being used for City business.
7.2.7
Unallowable Expenses A.
The City does not pay for or reimburse for 1) parking tickets, 2) towing or impound fees, 3) traffic violations, 4) alcoholic beverages, 5) personal entertainment, 6) tobacco, 7) snacks, and 8) other incidental personal expenses or unnecessary or extravagant costs of any kind.
B.
The City discourages combining personal travel with business travel, due to the public’s perception regarding use of City funds. Employees must clearly disclose any personal travel and/or annual leave time to be taken in conjunction with City travel when seeking approval and authorization for travel.
C.
An employee’s family may accompany the employee on City business only with the prior approval of the City Manager or Department Head. Family accompaniment must be disclosed on the Travel Authorization Request Form. If the anticipated travel mode is in a City owned vehicle, a Liability Waiver form must be signed by the employee’s family members prior to travel. No payment or expense reimbursement will be allowed for any expenses related to a family member travel with an employee on City business.
07-Travel Policy revised and adopted by City Council 7/1/15 gm
7.3.
Procedure 7.3.1 Authorization. All out-of-town travel must be authorized pursuant to 7.1 of this policy, which may result in registration or travel expense to the City must be authorized in advance on a form approved by the City Manager or Department Head. 7.3.2 Claims
A. All expenses shall be detailed on a City Travel Authorization Form and shall provide detailed information regarding expenses claimed. Receipts are to be attached when required. B. All claims for travel expenses shall be approved by the City Manager, Department Head and Finance Director prior to payment.
7.4
Steps in Travel Authorization Process A.
Step1: Completed Travel Authorization form with supporting documentation must be signed by employee and approved by the Department Head, then forwarded to the Finance Department.
B.
Step 2: Accounts Payable Clerk reviews for completeness and accuracy, then forwards forms to the Finance Director and City Manager for signature.
C.
Step 3: Accounts Payable Clerk will return a copy of the Travel Authorization form to traveling individual, with a check for the cost of travel.
D.
The Travel Authorization Form is found in Appendix “C”
07-Travel Policy revised and adopted by City Council 7/1/15 gm
