(a) Purpose. The City Charter provides that the city shall pay all necessary expenses incurred by members of the city council in the performance of their official duties. This section establishes procedures to be followed in reimbursing members of the city council for such expenses.
(b) Applicability. This section applies to reimbursement of members of the city council for all necessary expenses incurred by the city council in performance of their official duties.
(c) Definitions.
NECESSARY EXPENSES.
a. Expenses that are reasonable and necessary for a member of the city council to incur in the performance of his or her official duties. Such expenses may include, but are not limited to, expenditures for personal automobile usage, telephone calls and postage and costs of travel related to official city business.
b. NECESSARY EXPENSES do not include expenditures for:
1. Political advertising or political purposes;
2. Personal entertainment;
3. Compensation of additional council assistants or personnel to assist a council member; or
4. Personal expenditures that are not related to a council member's official duties.
POLITICAL ADVERTISING. A communication supporting or opposing a candidate for nomination or election to a public office or office of a political party, a political party, a public office or a measure that:
a. In return for consideration, is published in a newspaper, magazine or periodical or is broadcast by radio or television; and/or
b. Appears in a letter, pamphlet, circular, flier, billboard or other sign, bumper sticker or similar form of written communication.
(d) Procedures.
(1) The annual budget shall include a specified amount which shall be available to reimburse each member of the city council for necessary expenses that he or she incurs during the fiscal year.
(2) In adopting this section, the city council agrees to follow procedures to be adopted by the city manager that address reimbursement of travel and non-travel related out-of-pocket expenses for elected officials with such policy to provide for basic documentation of such expenses, including required receipts.
(3) Reimbursement forms completed in accordance with the city manager's policy shall be reviewed by the chief of staff or deputy chief of staff for the mayor and city council. That review shall consist of ensuring forms are complete and determining whether budgeted funds are available to pay the amount shown. Following this review, the reimbursement request shall be forwarded to city staff charged with processing accounts payable for payment.
(Ord. 12654, § 1, passed 9-3-1996; Ord. 24815-04-2021, § 1, passed 4-20-2021)