(A) Purpose. The village will reimburse employee and officer travel, meal, and lodging expenses incurred in connection with pre-approved travel, meal, and lodging expenses incurred on behalf of the village.
(B) Definitions. The following definitions shall apply as written to this section unless context indicates or requires a different meaning.
ENTERTAINMENT. Includes, but is not limited to, shows, amusements, theaters, circuses, sporting events, or any other place of public or private entertainment or amusement, unless ancillary to the purpose of the program or event.
TRAVEL. Any expenditure directly incident to official travel by employees and officers of the village or by wards or charges of the village involving reimbursement to travelers or direct payment to private agencies providing transportation or related services.
(C) Authorized types of official business. Travel, meal and lodging expenses shall be reimbursed for employees and officers of the village only for purposes of official business conducted on behalf of the village, which includes but is not limited to off-site or out-of-town meetings related to official business and seminars, conferences and other educational events related to the employee’s or officer’s official duties. Employee travel will be approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor. Travel of the Village President and trustees will be approved in advance by the Village Board. Travel of other village officers will be approved in advance by the Village President.
(D) Reimbursable expenses and limits.
(1) CMS rates for meals, lodging and mileage. Reimbursable expenses for meals and lodging and for mileage will be limited to those amounts established by the State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services from time to time and published on the internet (currently, www.illinois.gov/cmc/Employees/travel/Pages/TravelReimbursement.aspx ). These expense limits in force as of the date of this section are attached to Ord. 16-031; however, when the Department of CMS publishes changes in its limits, the village’s limits shall be deemed to be changed in like amount.
(2) Airfare. Since official business of the village does not normally involve air transportation, all air transportation expenses for any employee or officer of the village must be approved by the Village Board in advance. Travelers are expected to obtain the lowest available airfare that reasonably meets business travel needs. Only coach or economy tickets will be paid or reimbursed. The traveler will pay for the difference between higher priced tickets and coach or economy tickets with his or her personal funds.
(3) Automobiles. If a village-owned vehicle is available, it will be used. There will be no reimbursement of the cost of rental cars. For personal vehicles, mileage reimbursement will be based on mileage from the Village Hall to the off-site location of the official business, not from the employee’s or officer’s residence. When attending a training event or other off-site official business directly from an employee’s or officer’s normal commute, reimbursement will be paid based on the differential of the commute less the mileage of a normal commute to the workplace.
(4) Other transportation. The traveler should utilize hotel shuttle service or other shuttle services, if available. If none are offered, the use of the most economic transportation is encouraged.
(5) Vacation in conjunction with business travel. In cases where vacation time is added to a business trip, any cost variance in airfare, car rental, lodging and/or any other expenses must be clearly identified on the travel, meal, and lodging expense report form and paid by the traveler.
(6) Accompanied travel. When a traveler is accompanied by others not on official business, any lodging, transportation, meals or other expenses above those incurred for the authorized traveler will not be reimbursed by the village.
(7) Parking. Parking fees at a hotel or motel will be reimbursed only with a receipt. Valet parking will not be reimbursed.
(E) Approval of expenses.
(1) Travel, meal, and lodging expenses incurred by any employee in excess of $250 must be approved in an open meeting by a majority roll-call vote of the Village Board.
(2) Travel, meal, and lodging expenses incurred by the Village President or any Village Trustee any mount must be approved by roll call vote at an open meeting of the Village Board. Travel meal and lodging expenses advances as a per diem to any employee or any member of the Village Board must be approved by roll call vote at an open meeting of the Village Board prior to payment. Documentation of expenses must be provided in accordance with divisions (C), (D), and (F) of this policy, and any excess from the per diem must be repaid.
(F) Documentation of expenses.
(1) Before an expense for travel, meals, or lodging may be approved under division (E) of this policy, the following minimum documentation must first be submitted, in writing, to the Village Board on a travel, meal, and lodging expense form:
(a) 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 expense have already been incurred;
(b) The name of the individual who received or is requesting the travel, meal or lodging expense;
(c) The job title or office of the individual who received or is requesting the travel, meal, or lodging expense; and
(d) The date or dates and nature of the official business for which the travel, meal, or lodging expense was or will be expended.
(2) All documents and information submitted under this section are public records subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
(3) The village hereby adopts as its official standardized form for the submission of travel, meal, and lodging expenses the travel, meal, and lodging expense report form attached to Ord. 16-031.
(G) Entertainment expenses. No employee or officer shall be reimbursed for any entertainment expense, unless ancillary to the purpose of the program, event or other official business.
(Ord. 16-031, passed 12-19-2016)