The City of Willoughby Hills recognizes that City employees may travel outside the City on related business, seminars and educational classes related to their job duties and approved by the Department Head or the Mayor. All travel will be pre-approved by the Department Head or the Mayor. An Employee Travel Expenses Request Form must be filled out before the travel can be approved (see Travel Expense Request Form). After the Department Head/Mayor approves the travel, the Finance Director will verify there are sufficient funds available for the travel.
(a) The City will reimburse employees for mileage in a privately owned vehicle at the current I.R.S. rate at the time of travel. Any City employee who uses a privately- owned vehicle must be insured under a liability policy that complies with Ohio R.C. 4509-51. Any driver authorized for travel must maintain a valid driver's license. The reimbursement rate is considered to cover all costs associated with the use of the privately-owned vehicle including, but not limited to, gasoline, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, license fees, depreciation costs, any uninsured losses or insurance deductibles resulting from damage to the privately-owned vehicle. Whenever possible, the employee should use a City owned vehicle for travel. (Contact the Mayor to see if a City vehicle is available).
(b) The City will reimburse employees for meals at a maximum of thirty-five dollars ($35.00) per day within the state and sixty dollars ($60.00) per day out of the State. The City employee will supply original receipts with an expense report to the Finance Department for reimbursement. The original receipt must be an itemized receipt. The Finance Department will not accept a charge receipt alone. A detailed itemized receipt must be submitted. Under no circumstance will a charge receipt which is not itemized be accepted. The City employee will not be reimbursed for gratuities which exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the purchased meal. There will be no reimbursement for meals if the cost of the meal is included in the registration fee.
(c) The City will reimburse employees for parking costs and tolls at actual cost.
(d) The City will reimburse employees for hotel/motel rooms at actual cost if an overnight stay is 100 miles or more from the employee's workstation. City employees must request and accept a single room at the "government rate," if available.
(e) The City will not reimburse employees for any of the following items:
(1) Alcoholic beverages.
(2) Entertainment.
(3) Dry cleaning.
(4) Laundry.
(5) Room service.
(6) Tips for other than meals and taxi cabs.
(7) Telephone calls unless necessary for official business.
(f) When necessary, airfare will be coach, class or economy class (or equivalent) and tickets will be ordered as far in advance as possible. Note: The Ohio Ethics Commission issued Advisory Opinion No. 91-010 which prohibits an employee from accepting, soliciting, or using the authority or influence of his/her position to secure for personal travel a discounted or free "frequent flyer" airline ticket or other benefit from an airline if he/she has obtained the ticket or other benefit from the purchase of airline tickets, for the use in official travel by the department, division, agency, institution or other entity with which he/she served or by which he/she is employed or connected.
(g) If a City employee is conducting City business and is being reimbursed per this policy, the City employee may not collect frequent flier miles for personal use. All frequent flier miles become the property of the City.
(h) If the City employee elects to have a spouse or other individual accompany them on City business, the City employee is responsible for any costs associated with the spouse or other individual including travel, meals, room upgrade from single to double, etc. All charges associated with the spouse or other individual should be made on a separate invoice/voucher if possible, for segregation of costs.
(i) All City employees will be required to submit an expense report with original receipts for reimbursement. The expense report will be approved by the Department Head or the Mayor.
(j) Within forty-eight (48) hours of returning from an approved trip, the employee will fill out a Travel Expense Reimbursement Form and attach detailed and itemized receipts to the form and submit it to the Department Head/Mayor for approval.
(k) Reimbursement will be made after the Finance Department verifies that the expenses were in accordance with the Travel Policy.
(Ord. 2021-015. Passed 9-23-21.)