(A) Policy. It is the policy of the village to encourage employees and elected officials to participate in business related functions which serve in the best interest of the village, and to reimburse employees and officials for such necessary, appropriate and approved expenses.
(B) Eligibility. Expenses reimbursement is available to all full time and part time village employees and elected officials subject to the limitations described herein. This policy is intended to provide advance compliance with PA 099-0604, which will become effective January 1, 2017.
(C) Purpose.
(1) Expenses incurred during the course of out-of-office business and business travel will be paid by the village, based upon documented, reasonable and necessary expenses. Upon Village Administrator approval, reimbursement may occur for expenses such as, but not limited to, airfare, train fare, car rental, hotel accommodations, mileage, meals, parking, tolls and equipment.
(2) Maximum expenditures are set forth in the schedules below as required by statute. Additionally, as required by the Act, all expenditures of any elected official must be approved by roll call vote in open session, preferably before, but permissibly after the expense is incurred by the official.
(D) Employee procedures.
(1) Village employees are expected to show good judgment and common regard for economy when traveling at the village's expense. It is the responsibility of the employee to select travel options that are the best available value. An employee should seek pre-approval from the department head prior to booking any airfare, rental vehicles or overnight stay accommodations to ensure that the planned itinerary is eligible for reimbursement according to this policy.
(2) In order to qualify for reimbursement, an employee must request prior written approval from their immediate supervisor for expenses and thereafter provide proof that the expenses were incurred on official village business (e.g., submission of an approved reimbursement form and other appropriate documentation such as receipts as required by the village). Expense reimbursement requests must be submitted no later than 12 weeks from the date the expense was incurred.
(3) Mileage reimbursement will be periodically reviewed to ensure that it is consistent with state/national average rates of mileage reimbursement. Per diem allowances will consistently reflect the federal rate as set by the General Services Administration. Discretion for economy is expected for every expense. Maximum amounts listed are a cap on expenses; actual expenses are expected to fall below the maximum amounts whenever possible. A schedule of current maximum allowable per diem amounts for expenses is set forth below. It will be distributed and updated by the Finance Department and submitted for approval from time to time by the Village Board. Only the official maximums set by resolution of the Village Board as required by statute will be effective. Please direct any questions to the Finance Department.
CATEGORY OF EXPENSES | MAXIMUMS |
CATEGORY OF EXPENSES | MAXIMUMS |
Travel - Auto (privately owned) | $0.565 per mile. |
Travel - Auto (rental)* | 100% of cost of least expensive economy rental. |
Travel - Train/Taxi/Limo | 100% of fare of lease expensive mode of available transportation. |
Travel - Airplane | 100% of Best Economy Class Rate** |
Travel - Tolls | 100% of tolls along direct route of travel. |
Travel - Parking | 100% of best economy option |
Lodging | $173.00 per night |
Meals | $64 per day overall, none to exceed the following: Breakfast: $11.00 Lunch: $18.00 Dinner; $30.00 Incidentals: $5.00 |
* Only provided when village-owned vehicles are unavailable. | |
** Only provided when less expensive ground transportation is unavailable. | |
(4) The village will not reimburse expenses for the following: alcoholic beverages; meals, travel, lodging, or any other fees for friends, family, or other non-village employees; expenses of a personal nature and incurred for the convenience of the employee, e.g. traveling indirect routes, upgrading a plane ticket to first class, or upgrading room accommodations; parking tickets, traffic citations, or other fees that could be reasonably avoided by following applicable traffic laws; travel or hotel change/cancellation fees that could have been reasonably avoided; any other non-work related expenses.
(E) Exceptions. The Village Board may make allowances to this policy as deemed necessary; itinerary and expenses will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis. All such requests for allowances will require a motion and a roll call vote of the Village Board for approval. Expenses that exceed the maximums, and which do not receive a favorable vote of the Board will be capped at the maximums.
(F) Officials' policy. PA 099-0604 requires that all expenditures for travel, meals and lodging by elected officials be approved by roll call vote of the Village Board upon a proper motion. While the Act does permit after-the-fact approvals, it is strongly recommended that officials anticipating travel, meal or lodging expense bring the matter to the Village Board in advance of incurring the expense. The maximums set forth in the foregoing section on employees' expenses are applicable to elected officials, and again, it is recommended that unnecessary expenses be minimized wherever possible.
(G) Forms. Standardized forms for expense reimbursement requests are available in the Finance Department. These are required by statute to include the following information and will be rejected if not complete:
(1) An estimate of the cost of travel, meals, or lodging if expenses have not been incurred or a receipt of the cost of the travel, meals, or lodging if the expenses have already been incurred;
(2) The name of the individual who received or is requesting the travel, meal, or lodging expense;
(3) The job title or office of the individual who received or is requesting the travel, meal, or lodging expense; and
(4) The date or dates and nature of the official business in which the travel, meal, or lodging expense was or will be expended.
(H) No entertainment expenses permitted. Pursuant to § 25 of PA 099-604, the village is prohibited from reimbursing any elected official, employee, or officer for any entertainment expense.
(I) FOIA. All documents and information submitted under this section are public records subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
(Ord. 16-O-24, passed 11-11-2016)