(1) The board of commissioners or general manager shall have the authority to approve commissioner and/or employee travel for meetings, training sessions, or conferences that meet the business needs of the district.

(2) The safety of the traveler will be a priority when planning transportation and lodging. The general manager or designee shall have the authority to consider location, the weather forecast, time of the year (season), number of travelers, knowledge of the surrounding area, medical conditions, geographical commute boundaries, number of days of travel, work responsibilities, and other factors when planning transportation and lodging.

(3) For the purposes of securing lodging accommodations for meetings, conferences, and training sessions, the hotel listed as the “conference,” “meeting,” or “training session” hotel shall be considered reasonable. In addition, other hotels located in close proximity, within 10 miles of the “conference” hotel, shall be considered reasonable, as long as their rates are within 150 percent of the “conference,” “meeting,” or “training session” hotel. The general manager shall have the authority to exceed the 150 percent limit for late reservations or overbooking challenges.

(4) The general manager or designee shall review and approve all travel-related expenses, whether reimbursed directly to the traveler, paid by district credit/purchasing card, or paid by a detailed invoice submitted to the district.

(5) All overnight travel related expenses, except meals, shall be supported by detailed receipts that include the dates of service, a description of the transactions, and the amount charged.

(6) While on overnight travel status, the per diem reimbursement for meals shall include: the basic cost of the meal, sales tax, customary gratuity, and other incidental expenses. The daily per diem rate shall be determined by the domestic per diem rate as defined by the U.S. General Services Administration.

Meals made available to the employee by the conference/training event that are included in the registration fee, or provided by another agency or vendor, shall not be included in the calculation of the daily per diem regardless if the employee participated in the meal. Light snacks/refreshments will not be considered as a meal available to the employee (Example: continental breakfast, airplane food, light hors d’oeuvres). On the first and last day of travel the following schedule will be used to determine the meals reimbursable on a per diem basis:

Departing from official duty station or residence begins the start of travel. It’s allowable to arrive at the airport up to three hours before a flight. Returning to official duty station or residence is the end of travel. The time zone where travel begins shall be used to determine the start and end of travel. When submitting for per diem, the employee shall provide a form as created by the district that is approved by the employee’s manager and the general manager with the conference registration information.

(7) The general manager or designee shall have the authority to request a detailed invoice from any vendor submitting or requesting payment for a travel-related expense. If the vendor will not provide a detailed invoice, the charge will be disallowed and the specific employee incurring the expense may be liable for the charge.

(8) Alcohol, entertainment, gym fees, and other personal type expenses are not a district business expense.

(9) Actual reasonable incidental transportation expenses, up to $20.00 per day, related to traveling for meals and conference related events, will be allowed as a district business expense.

(10) The district shall provide for a reasonable meal(s) when a commissioner or employee attends a meeting or daily training session to conduct district business. The district’s costs shall be based on the meal’s actual cost plus a reasonable tip. For the purposes of determining reasonableness, a meal shall not exceed an entrée, a typical side dish item (fries, salad, or soup), and a nonalcoholic beverage. Additional items shall not be paid by the district.

For the purposes of determining a normal meal time:

(11) Reasonable “tip” for non per diem meals, transportation, and other services shall not exceed 20 percent of the charged meal or service. [Res. 791 § 1, 2020; Res. 773 § 2, 2019; Res. 770 § 2 (Att. A § B), 2019; Res. 768 § 2, 2018; Res. 442 § 1 (Exh. A), 1994; Res. 418 § 2, 1989; Res. 369 §§ 1 – 3, 1982.]