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HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-04-39RESOLUTION NO. R-04-39 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA, ADOPTING A TRAVEL POLICY FOR CITY COUNCIL; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT AND EFFECT~ DATE. WHEREAS, only the City Council has the authority to institute a travel policy governing elected officials and charter officers; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA, that: Seetion.l. TRAVEL POLICY. The attached policy is hereby adopted to govern travel by members of City Council and Charter Officers. Section 2. CONFLICT. All resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict herewith, specifically including Resolution R-00-03, are hereby repealed. Section 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This resolution shall take effect immediately. The foregoing Resolution was moved for adoption by Councilmember l~onier . The motion was seconded by Councilmember coniglio and, upon being put into a vote, the vote was as follows: Mayor Nathan B. McCollum Vice-Mayor Jce Barczyk Councilmember Ray Conlglio Couneilmember Lisanne Monier Couneilmember Mike Heptinstall aye aye aye aye aye The Mayor thereupon declared this Resolution duly passed and adopted this 15th day of September, 2004. ATTEST: Approved as to form and legality for the reliance by the City of Sebastian only: Rich Stringer, City Attofffey CITY OF SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA COUNCIL AND CHARTER OFFICER TRAVEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES I. PURPOSE The purpose of this Travel Policy is to establish the policy and procedures for authorizing and obtaining reimbursement for official travel by City Officers. It is the responsibility of each Officer to perform travel in the most economical manner and in the best interest of the City of Sebastian and not for the convenience of the traveler. It is the traveler's responsibility to provide all necessary information. II. DEFI2XlITIONS A. Class A travel - Continuous travel of more than 24 hours away from the City. B. Class B travel - Continuous travel of less than 24 hours that involves overnight absences from the city. Travel of exactly 24 hours will be considered Class B travel and will be reimbursed for four quarters (one (1) day) only, regardless of time of departure and return. C. Class C travel - Travel for short day trips where the traveler is not away from the City overnight. D. Officer - A member of City Council or a Charter Officer of the City. E. Traveler - An Officer, when performing authorized travel. F. Vicinity travel - For the purpose of computing allowable mileage, vicinity travel includes official travel in the area of destination points, which exceeds point-to-point calculations. III. TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION AND PROCEDURES Reimbursement for travel expenses shall only be made when the travel has been authorized by City Council. Charter Officer travel shall be considered as authorized if funds for such travel have previously been budgeted and remain available. Officers should ensure that all travel is undertaken by the most economical method and in the City's best interest. IV. TRAVEL ADVANCE Eligible travelers may request travel advances of 80% of travel expenses by City Check through the Finance Department. A. Within thirty (30) days after the travel period has ended, the traveler shall submit an accounting of travel expenses for processing as follows: 1. Funds Due Traveler: If a traveler is entitled to additional funds for a travel period, the traveler shall be required to deduct any travel advance made for the travel period. 2. Funds Due City: If a traveler was advanced funds in excess of the travel expenses allowed for a particular travel period, the traveler shall submit a refund to the finance department which will then prepare a cash receipt. 3. Expenses Equal Advance: If the travel expenses equal the amount of the advance, there shall still be an accounting form filed to reflect this fact for the record. B. If no accounting is filed for travel advances within the 30 day time limit, the City shall have the right to deduct the amount of said undocumented advances from future salary payments. V. NO PER DIEM RATE Travel expenses shall only be reimbursed on the basis of meal allowance plus actual expenses for lodging incurred at a duly established commercial lodging facility to be substantiated by itemized paid bills. There shall be no per diem allowance paid to Council members or Charter Officers. VI. SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCE A. Officers performing Class C travel (short trips or day trips where the traveler is not away from the City overnight) shall be allowed subsistence in the following amounts. Breakfast $3.00 Lunch $6.00 Dinner $12.00 B. Officers performing Class A/B travel shall be allowed subsistence in the following amounts. Breakfast $6.00 Lunch $10.00 Dinner $18.00 VII. ALLOWABLE INCIDENTAL EXPENSES Incidental expenses as set forth below incurred while traveling shall be reimbursed. Travelers shall strive to provide receipts for all incidental expenses claimed. A. Common Carriers such as taxis, subways and buses. B. Ferry Fares and Bridge, Road and Tunnel Tolls C. Storage or Parking Fees D. Communication Expenses (Telephone/Telegraptglntemet) E. Registration Fees Registration fees for a convention, or conference to which the traveler is authorized to attend are allowed. If meals are included in the registration fee, a separate subsistence allowance is not allowed. Payment of any expenses for a guest, or for any extracurricular activities not included in the registration fee, but included in the registration form shall be paid in advance to the city. Other incidental travel expenses may be reimbursed upon presentation of receipts, or justification for lack of receipts if the amount is less than $3.00 provided they were incurred in the performance of city business. VIII. EXCEPTIONS TO REIMBURSEMENT RATES When lodging or meals are provided as part of the conference or convention, the traveler shall be reimbursed only for the actual expenses of lodging or meals but not to exceed the maximum provided for in this policy. When an Officer is working at a location away from the City at the close of business on one day and is required to be at or near the same location on the following day, the decision whether to return to the City for the night would be based on the reasonableness and relative expenses involving round trip mileage or common carder expense. C. By ordinance, Council member mileage expenses for travel within Indian River County are reimbursed through an expense allowance and shall not be separately provided. IX. TRANSPORTATION A. Route of Travel All travel must be by a usually traveled route. If a person travels by an indirect route for personal convenience, any extra costs will be at the traveler's expense. B. Private Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement 1. All mileage should be shown from point of origin (City Hall or point of departure). Mileage may be computed on the basis of an official state road map published by the Department of Transportation, or may be generated through website map services. Mileage estimates shall be used for advance requests and actual point-to-point mileage shall be used for additional reimbursements or amounts due to City, when travel is completed. 2. When an individual is in travel status, vicinity mileage is allowable. Mileage is allowed from office or home to the airport when performing authorized travel. 3 C. Rental Cars 1. Rental cars charged to the city are to be used only for official city business. 2. Rental cars should only be used when it is more economical than to have a city car available or being picked up at a destination. 3. Officer insurance liability related to the use of rental cars is covered through the City's Insurance Policies. When signing the rental agreement, the Officer will refuse Collision Damage Waiver and Personal Accident Insurance. If the Officer does not refuse this option, the cost will be deducted from the reimbursement amount. ADOPTED pursuant to Resolution R-04-39. EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2004 4