Sec. 78-269. - Travel expenses.

(a) With the exception of the mayor and councilmembers, the city attorney, city secretary and the
municipal court judge, all persons will present expense accounts to the city manager for approval.
(1) Overnight travel must be authorized in advance by the city manager or his designee. Expense
accounts for all travel, overnight or single day trips will be approved by the city manager.
(2) All expense accounts shall be approved by the department head prior to submission to the
accounting division for audit within seven days after the trip is complete. After audit, the expense
account shall be submitted to the city manager or his designee for approval.
(3) Should the expense account not be returned in a timely manner, the department head will be
notified, and travel advances to the employee suspended. If the expense report remains
outstanding, travel advances to the department will be suspended.
(4) A receipt for any charge incurred that may be paid in advance by the city, such as airline tickets,
registration, etc., is to accompany the expense account in order that the entire cost of the trip may
be reflected in the expense package.
(5) Travel advances for overnight travel must be approved by the department head and the city
manager and will not exceed $100.00 per day. Advances will not be issued for same day trips.
(6) Allowable reimbursements.
a. Auto expense. Reimbursement for the use of a private automobile shall be at the IRS
standard mileage rate to the employee furnishing the automobile. Employees receiving
automobile allowances shall be reimbursed at a rate equivalent to $0.10 per mile less than
the IRS standard mileage rate for authorized travel outside the city limits. When more than
one employee travels by car to the same conference/meeting, etc., pooling is to be utilized
to the fullest extent possible.
b. Per diem allowance. A per diem allowance will be determined as delineated in the GSA
Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE Rate Schedule for travel outside the city. This
allowance is intended to cover all meals and incidental expenses. Employees are only
eligible for 75 percent of the total M&IE rate for the location to which they are traveling on
the first and last day of travel. The GSA provides a breakdown of the components of the
maximum per diem rate. Should a meal be provided by the city or the conference attended,
that component amount should be deducted from the per diem. (The city manager may
authorize actual expenses with receipts for travel to Internal Revenue Code designated "high
cost" cities. This option must be requested by the employee and department head on the
request for authorization for overnight travel.) The employee must document the days eligible
for the allowance on the expense report. When trips are less than 12 hours, meals and
incidental expenses will be reimbursed at actual cost for necessary and reasonable expense.
When trips are more than 12 hours and less than 24 hours, the employee will receive a per
diem of 75 percent of the GSA per diem rate (75 percent of M&IE).
c. Out-of-town transportation. When auto expenses are not claimed on the expense account,
the use of out-of-town transportation will be an eligible expense. The business necessity for
any charge for taxi, bus, car rental or other transportation, while out-of-town, must be
explained in writing and attached to the expense account form, and a receipt for each charge
must be submitted with the expense report.
d. Airfare. Reimbursement for airfare shall be a coach class rate. Any expense exceeding
coach class shall not be eligible expense except in the case of documented emergency travel
where coach class is not available.
e. Spouse attendance. Spouses travel at their own expense. The difference between the single
and double rate is reimbursable to the city. No travel costs for spouses, whether for

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 transportation, lodging, meals or cost of attendance to events are reimbursable by, or
chargeable to, the city.
f. Entertainment. Entertainment expenses are not eligible expenses.
g. Miscellaneous. All other miscellaneous business expenses are reimbursable when they are
reasonable, ordinary and necessary for the completion of city business and supported by
receipt.
(b) Expenses of mayor and city councilmembers. Prior travel expenses advance; expense report.
(1) Travel advances must have a reasonable relation to estimated travel costs, and are limited to a
maximum of $150.00 per day. Travel advances will not be given if there are any monies due and
owing for previous travel.
(2) Expense packets, consisting of detailed expense statements, receipts, airline bills, hotel bills,
registration receipts of attended meetings and the city receipts for refund of advances, shall be
submitted to the city secretary within 15 days after the return from an out-of-town business trip.
The mayor will submit his/her expense packet to the mayor's secretary. A receipt (or copy thereof)
for any charge incurred that may be paid in advance by the city, such as registration, airline
tickets, etc., is to accompany the expense account in order that the entire charge for the trip may
be reflected in one expense package. The city secretary, or mayor's secretary as appropriate,
shall then check the packet for duplication and mathematical corrections.
a. If errors are found, the submitter is notified.
b. The city secretary or mayor's secretary shall then submit those completed expense packets
to the council for their consideration.
(3) Exclusions and limitations on certain charges and requirements of receipts.
a. Airfares on all trips shall be by coach class.
b. Receipts are required on all charges for meals, when the total cost exceeds $75.00 per day,
for mayor and city councilmembers.
c. When trips are less than 24 hours, meals and tips cannot exceed $35.00.
d. Entertainment expenses are not eligible expenses. Examples: golf, sporting events, theatres
or shows.
e. Business relations: Limited to $25.00 maximum per day. Receipts are required.
(4) Automobile expenses.
a. Said officers will be paid at the rate authorized by the Internal Revenue Service per mile for
the use of their personal automobile for business trips that exceed 30 miles round trip from
the point of origin to a location outside of the city.
b. Said officers will be paid at the rate authorized by the Internal Revenue Service per mile for
the use of their personal automobile for business trips within the city, except for those officers
who receive a monthly automobile allowance. The mileage used will be based on estimated
mileage.
(5) Exclusion of expenses for spouses. Expenses for, or on behalf of spouses are not eligible
expenses and shall not be paid, or reimbursed by the city.
(6) If there are any travel expenses that have not been reimbursed or reconciled within 30 days of
the trip, the city secretary shall notify the city manager, mayor, the director of finance and city
council.
(7) If a councilmember desires to drive to a location wherein air travel was available, the city
councilmember will be limited in obtaining reimbursement to the cost of the round-trip airfare
ticket, as well as additional costs of renting a car at the actual location and the per diem that would

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 have been normally associated with air travel. This subsection will not apply to cases wherein
due to security concerns, vehicle travel is more prudent.
(c) Allowable reimbursements for city manager, city attorney, city secretary and municipal court judge.
(1) Before any overnight out-of-town business trip is made by city manager, city attorney, city
secretary, municipal court judge or any department head not under the control of the city
manager, three days' prior written notification should be given to the council. However, for an
emergency trip, prior notice shall be sufficient.
(2) The city manager, city attorney, city secretary, municipal court judge, and all department heads
not under the control of the city manager will submit completed expense reports to the city council
for consideration and approval.
(3) Said officers will be reimbursed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section with the
limitations of other city employees.

(Code 1961, 17-122; Ord. No. 01-21, 1, 6-26-2001; Ord. No. 03-023, 2, 5-13-2003; Ord.
No. 06-89, 2, 10-24-2006; Ord. No. 06-163, 2, 11-7-2006; Ord. No. 06-116, 2, 12-19-2006;
Ord. No. 08-13, exh. A, 1-29-2008; Ord. No. 08-31, exh. A, 3-25-2008; Ord. No. 08-80, exh. A,
8-12-2008; Ord. No. 09-28, 2, 4-7-2009; Ord. No. 09-34, 2, 4-21-2009; Ord. No. 13-23 ,
2(exh. A), 4-16-2013; Ord. No. 13-29 , 2(exh. A), 5-28-2013; Ord. No. 13-35 , 2(exh. A), 8-
20-2013)

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