HomeMy WebLinkAbout(2019, 02/12) - F-8 - AmendedCITY TRAVEL POLICY STATEMENT
PURPOSE
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To set forth the policy for official City travel for reimbursement of expenses incurred by
City Council members, appointed officials, members of special boards, commissions,
committees, and employees while traveling overnight on official City business. This
policy will not apply for commuter (local) training seminars and local City business
expenses, nor is it intended to supersede Police Officer Standard Training reimbursable
travel policies established by the State of California or the Newport Beach Police
Department. The governing rule for all City travel expenses will be availability,
economy, convenience, and propriety.
TRAVEL POLICY
A. The City will provide reimbursement for expenses directly related to attendance
at approved conferences, seminars, meetings, and other official functions/
purposes.
B. Official travel is planned, approved, and budgeted at the Department level.
C. All official travel must be approved prior to the time of the travel by the Finance
Director.
D. The City Manager will adopt and enforce administrative procedures that assure
that all City authorized travel is:
1. Paid directly by the City or reimbursed to the traveler based on actual,
itemized expenses or should be covered by per diem payment.
2. The City's per diem rate for Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) will be
equal to the U.S. General Services Administrations (GSA) M&IE rates.
(www.GSA.gov).
PROCEDURE
A. Each Department Director will include all planned trips in the Department's
annual budget requests. The Travel Authorization Form will be used as a
planning/cost estimation guide. For unbudgeted, unplanned travel, the same
form will be prepared at the time travel is requested.
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B. All requests for travel advances will include the original Travel Authorization
Form signed by the Department Director.
C. The Travel Expense Claim Form will be used to file the final travel claim with the
Finance Director. A copy of the Travel Authorization Form must be attached.
SPECIAL REIMBURSEMENT RULES RELATED TO CITY COUNCIL
California Government Code Section 53232, et seq., provides restrictions on expense
reimbursements paid to members of legislative bodies. Members of a legislative body
may only be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance
of official duties and their travel claims must be accompanied by the receipts
documenting each expense.
CONTINUITY OF CITY GOVERNMENT POLICY
With the advent of different modes of rapid transportation, there is the possibility of
accidents injuring or killing several people simultaneously. Since Council Members are
required to attend conferences, conventions and meetings outside City Hall, it is
desirous to require that whenever possible, no more than three members of the City
Council use the same transportation at the same time.
When it comes to the Council's attention that a conference, convention, or meeting in
which transportation is required, Council Members shall make an effort to arrange their
itinerary so that no more than three members of the City Council use the same
transportation. The City Clerk will be utilized to provide alternate travel arrangements
where necessary in order to comply with this policy.
This policy will help insure that there will be a continuity of City government and that
there is always a majority of Council members capable of fulfilling the responsibilities
placed upon them by the City.
In addition, the City Manager, Department Directors and other key personnel should
use the same guidelines in traveling separately on official business whenever
practicable.
Adopted - June 8,1992
Amended - January 24,1994
Amended - February 26,1996
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Amended - April 23, 2002
Amended - October 10, 2006
Amended - August 11, 2009
Amended - September 27, 2011
Amended - February 12, 2019
Formerly F-25
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