PACE - Financial Policies - Travel

The following are considered reasonable and necessary business travel expenses:

1. Transportation (City, rental, personal vehicle, airfare, parking, bus, taxi, etc.)
2. Lodging
3. Registration fees for conferences, training, and tuition
4. Meals (gratuities not to exceed 20%)
5. Other incidental business expenses (copies, fax, internet service)
6. Laundry service (Actual cost of laundry and/or valet service are allowable expenses only when the travel period extends past seven days)

The following will not be paid or reimbursed

1. Alcoholic beverages
2. Expenses of a spouse or other persons not authorized to receive reimbursement under this policy
3. Theft, loss, or damage to personal property
4. Costs associated with damage caused by employee/official’s actions
5. Airline or other trip insurance
6. Personal entertainment
7. Personal telephone calls
8. Personal care services (reading material, barber, hair salon, personal toiletries, laundry/valet service)
9. Fines for parking or traffic violations

PRACTICE

• City Purchase Card

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Unless otherwise specified, employees are strongly encouraged to use their City purchase card for all travel-related expenses appropriate for that form of payment. At least seven (7) working days prior to starting travel status, the employee should notify Accounts Payable of the need to use the purchase card, at which time, the appropriate vending codes will be activated for the period of travel time necessary for the employee’s needs. Please refer to the Purchase Card Policy for use guidelines.

• Compensable Travel Time

Non-exempt employees who are traveling out of town on authorized business shall be paid for all travel time including time spent driving, waiting at airports, in flight, or traveling from the airport to the hotel, irrespective of the employee’s normal work hours. Exempt employees shall be compensated based on the Fair Labor Standards Act rules regarding travel time.

• Transportation

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​City Vehicles - For daily travel or overnight travel, a City fleet vehicle is the preferred method of travel, if available and appropriate. Costs for operation of a city vehicle outside the city limits are authorized for fuel, oil and any necessary minor repairs using the purchase card. No employee shall use a City owned vehicle for personal use or convenience. Use is restricted to the conduct of official city business. The City recognizes some level of de minimis personal use of a City owned vehicle while on official business.

Rental Cars - The City has a negotiated rate with Enterprise Car Rental. In many cases, having a rental car delivered to your workplace for a day-trip, is more economical than using a City fleet vehicle. Department Heads shall determine if a rental car is the best option for the employee’s travel and for use on-site while in travel status.

Personal Vehicles - If a City fleet vehicle or rental is not available or not feasible, employees may use their personal vehicle with prior authorization of their Department Head. The rate for reimbursement for the  employee owning the vehicle shall be the current Internal Revenue Service rate per mile. Reimbursement for mileage expenses will be paid by the City of Camas through the accounts payable process. Mileage will be calculated by using the distance from the lesser of the employee’s official workstation or their home to the business destination.

If an employee uses a personal vehicle, the employee must carry liability insurance on the personal vehicle used for city business. The employee assumes responsibility for any accidents when using their personal vehicle for City business.

Reimbursement for mileage for use of a personal vehicle for business travel in lieu of a City fleet vehicle must be approved by the Department Director. Use of a personal vehicle, where air travel is an option, is limited to a reimbursement rate not to exceed the lowest cost round-trip airfare. If the Director, or their designee, chooses to limit the mileage reimbursement, documentation of lower air-fare rate must be attached and submitted with mileage reimbursement request form.

The City purchase card shall not be used in conjunction with private vehicles, since the established mileage rate covers all cost of vehicle operation including gasoline, insurance, and maintenance.

Air Travel - The City of Camas currently has no negotiated air discounts with any airline, thus air travel should be booked with the carrier that offers the best fare and routing for the destination. Advance arrangements for air travel should be made in order to receive the best rate for the travel period. Any costs for deviation from the most economical and direct route possible is the responsibility of the employee. Air travel shall be paid by purchase card. All air travel shall be at coach class.

If changes in travel plans occur that are the result of city business requirements, the City will pay the associated costs. Any increase in costs due to changes for personal convenience will be paid by the employee.

Taxi/Ride Share - Reasonable costs for transportation will be reimbursed when clearly identified that they were required to conduct official City business.

Parking - The cost for parking while conducting official city business should be paid for by purchase card or will be reimbursed with sufficient receipts. If parking costs were paid in a lot which does not offer receipts, those costs must be documented including the reason for the parking, date, time and location of the lot. This reimbursement will be done through accounts payable with a Claim for Expenses (green sheet).

• Lodging

The City will pay lodging costs (room and taxes) at the government, or single occupancy standard room rate through use of the purchase card. When attending a training or conference, an employee may elect to stay at the conference hotel at the lowest available room rate. Lodging costs will be paid, or reimbursed, on an actual cost basis. An original detailed hotel receipt, showing the single room rate plus taxes, must be submitted with the request for payment. It is expected that employees will secure the lowest rate when reserving lodging.

Lodging payment within fifty (50) miles of the closer of either the employee’s home or office is not allowed except under one of the following conditions:

1. an overnight stay in a hotel/motel to avoid having an employee drive back and forth for back-to-back late night/early morning official city business,
2. when the health and safety of the employee is of concern,
3. when an employee can demonstrate that staying overnight is more economical to the city, or
4. when appropriate for professional development or city networking purposes.

• Registrations

Fees charged for registration to attend City business-related conferences are allowable expenses and may be charged to the purchase card. When certain expenses are included in registration fees for conferences or seminars (lodging and/or meals) those items will not be reimbursed or paid by the City. For example, if an employee attends a seminar for which meals and lodging are included in the registration fee, and the employee elects lodging and meals other than those already included in the registration package, the employee is not due additional money for that lodging or meals. A copy of the conference flyer, brochure, or registration packet must be provided as documentation for payment by purchase card. The document must show dates of conference, summary agenda, and location.

• Meals

The City of Camas has elected to use the Federal General Services Administration (GSA) “high- low” per diem rates for meals in its travel policy. Using this method a specific list of localities are deemed “high-cost” and are eligible for a higher rate for meals. All other localities are deemed “low-cost” and will be eligible for the standard daily rate for all meals. Which rate an employee receives will be dependent on the destination of business travel. The GSA updates their rates on an annual basis. For a complete list of which localities qualify for the higher rate visit the GSA website at www.gsa.gov/perdiem. There is also a downloadable app for your smartphone which will provide the daily rate based on your geographic location. For purposes of this policy, incidental expenses (IE) are included in the employee’s allowable expenses toward meals. Gratuities are included in the total daily rate.

Meal expenses, while on travel status, should be purchased with the City’s purchase card. Daily meal charges should not exceed the allowable cost per GSA. Receipts for using the City’s card must be retained and turned into Finance. All receipts must show the date, description of purchased items, vendor identification, and the amount paid.

Meals that are paid for by the employee, not able to be purchased with the City card, are subject to reimbursement. It is preferred that employees dine at establishments which accept VISA cards in order to use their purchase card. Partial day meal allowance may apply to non-overnight travel, or on the first and last day of travel involving an overnight stay. Should travel begin prior to 6:30 a.m., the breakfast meal will be reimbursed; should travel end past 6:30 p.m., the dinner meal will be paid.

Any planned meals, the cost of which is included in a registration fee, shall not be paid for by the City or with the City purchase card if the employee chooses not participate in those meals and chooses to eat elsewhere. Full breakfasts provided by hotels and conference/meeting hosts is considered a meal (breakfast) for purposes of this policy. Exceptions require department head approval.

1. ​​​​​​​Meal example: Employee departs home at 8am on Monday to drive to a conference in Pasco. The conference begins at 1pm. Breakfast is not an allowable meal that day due to departure time, however lunch and dinner are since neither are provided for in the registration fee. Pasco daily meal rate is $46/day, which is broken down into $7/breakfast, $11/lunch, $23/dinner and$5/incidentals. Since breakfast is not covered due to departure time, the employee may spend up to $39 on their purchase card for lunch and dinner that day. The second day of the conference, lunch is provided as part of the registration fee. The employee may spend up to $35 on their purchase card for breakfast and dinner that day.The conference ends at noon on Wednesday and the employee will be home by 5pm. The employee would be entitled to the daily rate for breakfast and lunch that day, so the employee may spend up to $23 total on their purchase for the meals on that partial day.

We understand that there will be some situations where it is appropriate for the employee to spend more than the allowed amount for meals. In those cases, the employee’s manager must approve the higher amount, preferable in advance, if possible.

Local meals will be paid for if costs were incurred in the necessary discharge of the employee’s official duties. Payment will be made only in those instances when a clearly official function is performed. Routine meals with individuals, consultants, employees of the city and local agencies are not eligible for payment. For the mayor, council members, department heads and the city administrator, attending service club meetings are considered an official function for purposes of meal payment and will be paid at actual expenses.

• Claims and Documentation

​​​​​​​Employees must complete and certify an itemized Travel Expense Report as soon as possible after returning from work from being in travel status. This report is required regardless of whether or not a reimbursement is being requested. The following is a list of documentation supporting travel expenses and should be attached as appropriate:

1. Copy of conference or training registration showing dates and cost;
2. Conference, training, or meeting agenda to document business purpose;
3. Travel Itinerary as appropriate;
4. Original itemized receipts for lodging, meals and incidentals

It shall be the responsibility of the Department Head to approve all reports. If an employee is requesting reimbursement for expenses not paid for with the City purchase card, the employee will need to submit a Claim for Expenses (green sheet) with receipts, including meal receipts. The backside of the form must breakdown costs on a daily basis, and then combined on the front by total type of expense (i.e. meals, hotel, mileage, etc.) Reimbursement fund requests will be processed with the following voucher cycle. Information on either Claim for Expenses must be sufficient to administer the travel policy. Claim for reimbursement of any charge that could reasonably raise questions must be accompanied by an explanation of the charge.

• Personal Expenses

​​​​​​​The City will not pay for personal travel expenses that may be incurred during business travel. When personal travel is scheduled in connection with a business trip, the City pays only those expenses directly related to Official City Business. Any expenses related to personal travel must be clearly distinguishable and paid directly by the employee.