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HomeMy WebLinkAboutElected Offcial Out of State Travel Policy ☒City Council Approved: 12/6/2005 ☐City-Wide Revised: 1/20/2016 ☐Department City of Edina Policy ELECTED OFFICIAL OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL POLICY Purpose: The City of Edina recognizes that its elected official may at times receive value from traveling out of the state for workshops, conferences, events and other assignments. This policy sets forth the conditions under which out-of-state travel will be reimbursed by the City. General Guidelines: 1. The event, workshop, conference or assignment must be approved in advance by the City Council at an open meeting and must include an estimate of the cost of the travel and confirmation from the city manager that sufficient funding for the travel is included in the City’s budget. Examples of out-of-state travel for City elected officials include events sponsored by the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In evaluating the out-of-state travel request, the Council will consider among other things determined by the Council, the following: - Whether the elected official will be receiving training on issues relevant to the city or to his or her role as the Mayor or as a council member; - Whether the elected official will be meeting and networking with other elected officials from around the country to exchange ideas on topics of relevance to the City or on the official roles of local elected officials. - Whether the elected official will be viewing a city facility or function that is similar in nature to one that is currently operating at, or under consideration by the City where the purpose for the trip is to study the facility or function to bring back ideas for the consideration of the full council. - Whether the elected official has been specifically assigned by the Council to testify on behalf of the city at the United States Congress or to otherwise meet with federal officials on behalf of the city. 2. No reimbursements will be made for attendance at events sponsored by or affiliated with political parties. The city may make payments in advance for transportation, lodging and registration. Payment for all other expenses, such as meals, local transportation, internet access, and incidental costs will be made as reimbursements upon submission of a travel expense reimbursement form, including all necessary expense receipts, to the city manager. 4. Mileage will be reimbursed at the maximum IRS rate. If two or more council members travel together by car, only the driver will receive reimbursement. The city will reimburse for the cost of renting an automobile if necessary to conduct city business. Airfare will be reimbursed at the coach rate. 5. Reimbursement for meal costs is limited to the maximum rates as listed in the five-tier per-diem rate system established by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Per-diem rates vary according to locality. The listed per-diem rates are available at the GSA website: www.gsa.gov under per-diem rate. Total daily meal expenses will be reimbursed up to the maximum level for “Meals & Incidental Expenses” (M&IE) for the applicable locality. A standard per-day rate applies to all locations not specifically listed or encompassed by the boundary definition of a listed point. Council Members may pool their meal per-diems when dining as part of a group. Actual costs for legitimate business meals may be reimbursed if approved by the city manager. 6. The City will not pay or reimburse for alcoholic beverages, costs associated with the attendance of a family member, rental of luxury vehicles, or recreational expenses. Page | 2 7. Receipts are required to substantiate expense reimbursement requests. The expense report form shall be submitted to the city manager for reimbursement. 8. Effective January 1, 2017, the Council will limit the number of Council Members attending the spring conference event of the National League of Cities to three members in even numbered years and five members in odd numbered years. 9. Council Members will make a verbal report concerning the results of the travel at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council. 10. Exceptions to this policy may be approved by the city manager in order to further legitimate business purposes. Exceptions to the policy must be reported City Council.