(a) Generally. City employees and officials will be permitted to travel in conjunction with approved City business. Reimbursement for allowable expenses incurred while traveling out of the City on official City business will be made, provided that approval for such travel and request for travel expense reimbursement are made and requested as hereinafter provided.
(b) Authorization. No City official or employee will be permitted to travel out of the City, and no reimbursement for travel expenses incurred will be made, unless the employee or official has obtained prior written approval for such out-of-City travel from the Mayor and has obtained a purchase order certified by the Auditor that funds are available to cover such anticipated travel expenses. All requests for travel expenses shall be initiated by the submittal of a written request for out-of-City travel on an appropriate approved City form.
(c) Exceptions to Prior Written Authorization. No such prior written authorization shall be required to be obtained under the following conditions and pursuant to the following circumstances:
(1) When the need to accomplish such out-of-City travel is of sudden or unexpected nature and time does not allow for the acquisition of such prior approval, and such exigent circumstances are subsequently acknowledged by the Mayor and certified by the Auditor that funds are available to pay for such travel expenses incurred; and
(2) When the out-of-City travel is within the expected and ordinary course of the employee's or official's scope of employment or representation, and the employee's or official's immediate supervisor, if any, has required that such out-of-City travel be accomplished.
(d) Reimbursable Expenses. Employees and officials shall be expected to show good judgment in the matter of travel expenses and shall attempt to use the most economic means of traveling when traveling on City business. Further, no reimbursement will be made for any expenses unless such request for reimbursement is made and submitted upon the proper City form. Upon compliance with the provisions of this section, the following expenses shall be deemed reimbursable:
(1) Commercial air fare. Air flight is allowable, but only when the cost of the flight is less than the cost of automobile mileage, including additional expenses for lodging, meals and lost work time generated by the auto travel, or when travel time is of paramount significance. In no event, however, shall such payment for air travel exceed the cost of coach air fare.
(Ord. 92-01. Passed 2-4-92.)
(2) Use of motor vehicles; reimbursement for mileage.
A. In-town mileage reimbursement. In the event that an employee is required to employ his or her private motor vehicle in the furtherance of official City business for travel within the City limits of Greenville, Ohio, the affected employee shall be reimbursed at a rate of the then-applicable and current Federal per mile mileage reimbursement rate, as the same may be amended from time to time, for each mile incurred in the direct conduct of City business. Such reimbursement shall, however, be made upon the occurrence of the following additional specific events:
1. No other means of City-owned transportation is or was available to the employee;
2. Any request for reimbursement of in-town mileage shall be submitted on an approval form, in mileage increments of not less than ten miles, and bearing the approval of the employee's department head.
B. Out-of-town mileage reimbursement. When a trip of more than 250 miles, one way, is required of an employee or official of the City, the employee or official shall submit a comparison of the least costly mode of transportation. Consideration shall be given to the travel time (lost work generated by the employee or official), lodging, meals and the reimbursement for mileage. When the automobile is the least costly mode of transportation, the employee or official shall use a City vehicle. If a City vehicle is not available and the employee or official is required to use his or her privately-owned vehicle, the employee or official shall be reimbursed at the then-applicable and current Federal per mile mileage reimbursement rate, as the same may be amended from time to time, for travel mileage incurred in the direct conduct of City business. The mileage reimbursement provided for herein represents the total reimbursement to be made for all vehicle-related expenses (e.g. gas, oil, depreciation, etc.). The mileage reimbursement is payable only to one of two or more employees or officials traveling on the same trip, in the same vehicle. Employees or officials are expected to "car pool" if possible. Rental of a motor vehicle is not reimbursable without the prior written approval thereof from the Mayor and Auditor.
(Ord. 00-103. Passed 8-1-00.)
(3) Bus, limousine or taxi service. Reimbursement for expenses incurred in the use of a bus, a limousine or a taxi, may be made only when it has been established to the satisfaction of the Mayor that the same were necessary in the direct conduct of City business.
(4) Parking and tolls. Reimbursement for parking, highway, bridge and tunnel tolls may be made only when it has been established to the satisfaction of the Mayor that the same were necessary in the direct conduct of City business.
(5) Lodging. Unless extraordinary circumstances exist, as approved by the Mayor, reimbursement for lodging expenses shall not exceed a medium-priced single-room or conference rate. Whenever possible, lodging expenses will be paid in advance by the City upon presentation of an invoice, notice or registration form. Further, the reimbursement for lodging expenses is subject to the following criteria and limitations:
A. No such reimbursement will be made in conjunction with a one-day conference or meeting which is conducted within a 75-mile radius of Greenville, Ohio;
B. Reimbursement may be made in conjunction with a conference or meeting of two or more consecutive days' duration with prior approval of the Mayor and certification by the Auditor that funds exist from which such reimbursement may be made;
C. Absent the existence of exigent or unusual circumstances, as certified and approved by the Mayor, no reimbursement will be made for lodging expenses incurred on the day prior to the commencement of the related conference or meeting.
(Ord. 92-01. Passed 2-4-92.)
(6) Meals. Expenses for meals shall be reimbursed according to the following conditions and standards:
A. The meal expense sought to be reimbursed is in conjunction with a recognized, organized meeting or conference, the attendance at which has been re-authorized pursuant to the dictates of this section; and
B. The meal expense sought to be reimbursed does not exceed the following maximums:
1. Breakfast $10.00
2. Lunch $15.00
3. Dinner $20.00, or any combination thereof, with a per diem maximum of $45.00.
C. Gratuity shall not exceed twenty percent of the maximum meal reimbursement set forth above.
If meal expenses are included in a registration fee or lodging fee, duplicate or substitute meals shall not be reimbursable.
(Ord. 00-103. Passed 8-1-00.)
(7) Telephone calls, telegraph, fax, etc. Reimbursement for telephone toll charges, telegraph, fax and other related expenses may be made only when it has been established to the satisfaction of the Mayor and Auditor that the same were necessary in the direct conduct of City business.
(8) Registration fees, books and materials. Registration fees will, whenever possible, be paid in advance by the City upon presentation of an invoice, notice or registration form.
The cost of books, materials and other information offered for sale at a scheduled conference which are not a part of the conference materials, may be reimbursed when it is established by the Mayor and Auditor that the same are of value to the City and directly related to City business.
(e) Nonreimbursable Expenses. Expenses incurred for the following reasons shall not be reimbursable to an employee or official:
(1) Alcoholic beverages.
(2) Entertainment, including, but not limited to, movies.
(3) Laundry and dry cleaning service.
(4) Room service charges which exceed the maximum meal reimbursements set forth in division (d)(6)B. of this section.
(5) Any expenses attributed to a spouse or guest who is traveling with the employee or official.
(6) Any other allowable expenses where the required receipt or other documentation is not provided as required by this section.
(f) Documentation; Receipts. Within five working days from the employee's or official's return to the City, he or she shall submit a request for reimbursement of allowable travel expenses, on the appropriate City form designated for such purpose, to the appropriate department head, who shall, in turn, submit the same to the City Auditor for processing. Attached to such form shall be such receipts, invoices, tickets and other documentation evidencing all travel expenses for which reimbursement is sought. No reimbursement will be made for any expense not documented by proper proof of expenditure.
(g) Report to Council. In conjunction with any trip of three or more days in duration, or which involves an amount of two hundred dollars ($200.00) in reimbursable expenses, the employee or official shall submit to the Clerk of Council a written report within ten days of his or her return outlining the anticipated benefits to the City to be derived as the result of such travel and the employee's or official's intended use of the knowledge gained as a result of such trip. The written report should be brief, normally in the form of a memorandum.
(Ord. 92-01. Passed 2-4-92; Ord. 04-47. Passed 5-4-04; Ord. 18-56. Passed 6-8-18; Ord. 19-03. Passed 1-15-19.)