(a) Generally. Expenses incurred by a City employee who must travel to carry out that employee's official City duties, responsibilities or activities, or to obtain approved training, are reimbursable within the limits stated below. Certain travel expenses may be paid in advance.
(b) Per diems and meal expenses.
(1) A per diem is a flat rate reimbursement for any and all expenses incurred in a certain reimbursable travel category. The City will pay per diems for meal expenses only. No receipts are required for a per diem payment, which shall be made only after the employee completes travel and submits a claim for reimbursement. However, the employee must provide a copy of his travel itinerary and hotel bill to document actual time of travel. Meal per diems shall be paid at the current United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses, as amended from time to time by the IRS.
(2) Meal expenses for travel that is completed within one calendar day are not eligible for the per diem, and shall be paid at actual cost. Original receipts are required to substantiate costs, which are subject to the limits shown above. Receipts should be itemized or, if the vendor does not provide an itemized receipt, include a statement from the employee indicating what food or beverage items were purchased (credit card statements are not adequate documentation). Maximums include tips, which shall not exceed 20% of the cost of the meal.
(c) Advance payments.
(1) All claims for advance payment must be submitted to the office of the Controller no later than ten business days prior to the commencement of travel.
(2) Registration fees, hotel reservations and airfares connected with meetings, schools, seminars or other City-required travel may be paid in advance if supported by a fully itemized claim approved by the department director. Any savings resulting from changes in schedule or transportation or from reduced prices shall be delivered to the office of the Controller, along with written documentation, within the later of ten business days after travel is completed or three business days after the same is received by the employee
(3) For overnight travel, meal expenses may be paid in advance if specifically requested by the employee. Meal expenses shall be advanced at the rates listed in section (b) above. Within ten business days after travel is completed, the employee must deliver to the office of the Controller original itemized receipts for meal expenditures or, if the vendor does not provide an itemized receipt, a receipt accompanied by an itemized statement from the employee indicating what food or beverage items were purchased. Any unused funds shall also be returned. Failure to timely provide receipts and/or return unused funds will result in the monies being deducted from the employee's pay. See section (d)(8) below for alternate reimbursement method.
(d) Reimbursable expenses.
(1) Meeting, training and seminar fees.
(2) Private vehicle mileage, which shall be paid at the current United States Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") reimbursement rate, as amended from time to time by the IRS. If an employee travels directly from home to an off-site business meeting or work assignment that is a greater distance than the employee’s daily commute, the employee may submit a mileage claim for the distance from his or her normal workplace to the site of the meeting or assignment.
(3) Cost of rental car, collision damage waiver* and fuel for transportation between airport, lodging and business location if:
a) Route between airport and lodging or between lodging and business location if not served by taxi, ride-hailing service, subway or shuttle; or
b) Other forms of transportation are available, but are more costly than a rental car.
(4) Parking fees or tolls (affidavit required if no receipt is provided).
* Any City employee who uses a rental car for the conduct of City business shall purchase collision damage waiver (“CDW”) for the duration of the rental. An employee who fails to purchase CDW shall be personally liable for incurred expenses that would have been covered by the waiver. CDW may also be referred to as (loss damage waiver (“LDW”).
(5) Fares for ride- hailing services, taxis, shuttles, subways and other forms of local transportation.
(6) Coach air fares or fares that are commonly understood to be coach rates, or any lower fare. (Air fare shall include baggage fees and airline surcharges. It shall not include charges for food and beverages, which are considered meal expenses.) When personal travel is appended to business travel, reimbursement will be made only for the cost of round trip travel to and from the business location.
The round trip rate must be documented by a printed itinerary from a travel agency or web site. The department director must approve all such travel in advance.
(7) Lodging expenses for a standard room. Any upgrade in accommodations shall be the responsibility of the employee.
(8) Meal expenses.
a) For overnight travel, meal expenses are reimbursable at the flat per diem rates listed in section (b) above.
b) For travel completed within one calendar day, meals shall be reimbursed at actual cost, up to the maximums listed in section (b) above.
(9) Tips or gratuities for bellhops, skycaps, taxi/shuttle drivers and others who provide necessary services directly related to business travel (affidavit required if no receipt is provided).
(10) All business telephone calls and up to two personal calls to home and/or to closest family member per day, if the employee has no access to a City-issued cell phone.
(11) In-room or business services internet connection, if necessary for business purposes.
(e) Non-reimbursable expenses.
(1) Expenses for entertainment or services not directly serving a business purpose, including, but not limited to, in-room movies, alcohol, mini-bar, laundry service, saunas, massages and golf.
(2) Expenses for purchase of personal items such as clothing, accessories and toiletries.
(3) Long distance or local personal phone calls (except calls to home and/or to closest family member).
(4) Rental car for recreational purposes.
(5) Travel upgrades or fees for schedule changes that result in no savings to the City, unless the changes were necessitated by City work obligations approved by the employee's department director.
(6) Fees for acquiring a passport.
(7) Liability insurance, personal accident insurance, personal effects insurance or any other type of insurance offered by a rental car company. (Collision damage waiver (CDW)) is a reimbursable expense and is required on all rentals used for City business.)
(8) Expenses resulting from companion travel, if the companion is not conducting official City business, and if the expense is over and above the expense reasonably incurred by the City employee alone.
(9) Traffic tickets issued by any police department for violation of an ordinance, statute or law.
(10) Late or interest charges for expenses charged by an employee on his or her personal account.
(11) Travel life insurance policies.
(f) Claim submission requirements.
(1) All reimbursable expenses shall be submitted on an approved expense report, with required documentation attached.
(2) Any claim for reimbursement of travel or expenses incurred while on official City business (except meal per diems) must be documented with original itemized receipts. In the event receipts are unavailable (e.g., certain tolls and tips), the employee may obtain reimbursement by signing an affidavit itemizing the expense and affirming that the expense was incurred on behalf of the City.
(3) Prior to submission for reimbursement, a claim must be reviewed and authorized by the director of the employee's department to confirm that the claims submitted fall within the guidelines of this section and are within that department's appropriated budget.
(g) Travel time.
(1) For purposes of calculating compensation, an employee's hours worked shall include all hours spent in transit, whether as a driver or a passenger (for air travel, transit time begins when the flight is scheduled to depart and ends when the employee arrives at his or her lodging). Except, however, an employee who is offered public transportation but elects to drive instead shall be paid only for those hours that would have been spent on public transportation. An employee's department director shall have final decision as to the mode of transportation utilized.
(2) While on location, an employee shall be compensated for either the actual numbers of hours worked (in meetings, conferences, classes, etc.) or the employee's regularly scheduled hours for that day, whichever is greater.
(3) The following shall not be considered hours worked:
a) Time spent at evening events that serve primarily as social, recreational or networking opportunities.
b) Time spent at evening events during which a meal and/or alcohol is served, unless work is performed by the employee during a meal.
(`91 Code, § 2-61) (Ord. D-680, § II, 11-5-90; Ord. D-1071, 5-2-94; Ord. 1276, 2-3-97; Ord. D-1296-97, § 1, 5-19-97; Ord. D-1441-99, 11-1-99; Ord. D-1704-04, § 2, 7- 19-04: Ord. D-1819-06, As Amended, § 2, 8-21-06; Ord. D-1901-08, 7-7- 08; Ord. D-2067-11, 11-7-11; Ord. D-2490-19, 10-21-19; Ord. D-2505-19, 12-16-19; Ord. D-2660-22, § 2, 12-5-22)