CITY OF BURBANK
COUNCIL MEMBER
TRAVEL EXPENSE POLICY
I. POLICY STATEMENT
The purpose of this policy is to establish the guidelines applicable for official travel by elected City Council Members and to be in compliance with California Government Code §53232 .2. Travel by City Council Members is an appropriate activity and expense when performed for a public purpose. Official travel shall be limited to events from which the City derives specific benefits through attendance of a Council Member(s) and shall be supported. Therefore, Council Members shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of these official duties.
II. COMPLIANCE
This policy, and any changes thereto, shall be adopted by City Council at a public meeting. (Cal. Gov’t code §53232.2(b)).
All documents related to reimbursable expenditures are public records subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act. (Cal. Gov’t code §53232.3(e)).
Any personal information, including credit card numbers contained on any receipts, may be redacted before publicly releasing such records.
When considering potential travel activities, members of the City Council shall ensure that California Open Meeting (Brown Act) requirements are not violated.
City Council Members shall comply with Administrative Procedure, Section VI-5 - Travel and Business Expense , except where superseded by this policy. Any expenditures that are not described in these policies or the Internal Revenue Service reimbursable rates, must be approved by the City Council at a public City Council meeting, before the expense is incurred (Cal. Gov’t code §53232.3(f)).
III. DEFINITIONS
A. City
For the purposes of this policy, “City” shall include the Successor Agency of the City of Burbank and the Burbank Housing Authority.
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B. Council Member
For the purposes of this policy, “Council Member” shall include where the City Council Members act as members of the Successor Agency of the City of Burbank, the Burbank Housing Authority, and any other entity or body duly created by the Burbank City Council.
IV. QUALIFYING TRAVEL EXPENSE OCCURRENCES
For the purposes of this policy the types of occurrences th at qualify Council members to receive reimbursement of actual and necessary travel expenses include:
1. Communicating with representatives of regional, state, national government and international governments and Sister City counterparts, their various agencies and entities on issues of interest and/or impact to the City, as well as communicating on City adopted or authorized policy positions.
2. Attending educational seminars and trainings designed to improve City Council Members’ skill and information levels.
3. Participating in regional, state, and national organizations whose activities and conferences affect the City’s interests (e.g. League of California Cities).
4. Attending City -sponsored or community events, excluding religious or political events.
V. COUNCIL MEMBER TRAVEL EXPENSE ALLOTMENT
A. Travel Expense Allotment Defined
Each Council Member will be provided funds, on an annual basis as part of the adoption of the annual City budget, to support travel expenses. These funds are expected to cover the cost of airfare, lodging, taxi, shuttle, meals, conference registrations, se minars, and other non-local travel related expenses.
B. Exceeding Travel Expense Allotment
Any travel that will cause a Council Member to exceed their allotment must be approved by a majority of the City Council prior to expending travel funds. This shall be requested as an agenda item during City Council meeting “Additional Agenda Items” for a motion and vote at a future City Council meeting.
C. City Council Member Travel Expense Allotment Distribution Allotments may be adjusted and agreed upon by City Council during the annual budget process.
1. ALLOTMENT A:
All Council Members shall receive an equal budgeted travel expense allotment.
2. ALLOTMENT B:
Due to ceremonial responsibilities, the Mayor and Vice Mayor shall receive an additional travel expense allotment.
3. ALLOTMENT C:
The remaining budgeted allotment shall be reserved for unbudgeted travel expenses. Refer to Section V.B on how to access Allotment C.
VI. REPORTS AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
At each regular meeting of the City Council, Council Members shall briefly report on meetings attended at City expense (Cal. Gov’t code §53232.3(d)) . If multiple officials attended, a joint report may be made. In addition, all non -local travel will be reported on the City Council’s Quarterly Report.
VII. TRANSPORTATION ALLOWANCE
Council Members engage in travel each month to attend various meetings to which they have been appointed, educational seminars, meetings of other government and non -government agencies on which they sit as the City of Burbank representative, and to attend various local community functions and events as part of the City’s outreach efforts. To compensate Council Members for local transportation expenses, mileage, rideshare, parking fees (including valet parking expenses), and other necessary transportation co sts incurred in connection with local travel, Council Members will receive a transportation allowance. This allowance will eliminate the need to reimburse Council Members for these expenses.
A. Amount of Transportation Allowance
The amount of the transportation allowance shall be the same for all Council Members and agreed upon by the City Council during the proposed annual budget session.
B. Payment of Transportation Allowance
Payment of the transportation allowance will be made through the City’s regular biweekly payroll process along with the Council Member’s regular compensation. In accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations,
the transportation allowance shall be treated as income, subject to income tax withholding, and reported on the Council Members’ Employee Form W-2.
VIII. MEALS
Council Members shall be entitled to reimbursement for meals and associated gratuities in compliance with the rates and policies established for City employees per Administrative Procedure , Section VI-5 Travel and Business Expense.
However, Council Members are required to submit original itemized receipts documenting meal expenses in order to be eligible for reimbursement (Cal. Gov’t code §53232.3(c)).
IX. OFFICIAL REPRESENTATION
Council Members provide official City representation and support at events such as retirement and separation functions; awards functions, special ceremonies; non-profit fundraising events where the proceeds of the event benefit a civic, cultural, or charit able organization providing services for the benefit of Burbank residents and/or businesses that foster the City’s overall livability; and similar activities; and as such may incur necessary meals and food -related expenses. In such cases, the individual is acting in his/her official capacity and the expense of the Council Member and spouse/significant other is incurred for the benefit of the City and is reimbursable at full cost, if the City has not already purchased admission tickets for the Council Member and spouse/significant other. The City will not cover donation tickets in lieu of attending the event.
X. COUNCIL MEMBER TRAVEL AND EXPENSE CLAIM FORM
In order to receive travel reimbursements, Council Members shall complete and submit to the Financial Services Department, a Council Member Travel and Expense Claim Form (CM-TEC) and be in compliance with the following requirements per Cal. Gov’t code §53232.3(b-c):
1. CM-TEC forms should be submitted within a reasonable time after incurring the expense, not to exceed 60 days.
2. CM-TEC forms shall be accompanied by all the receipts documenting each expense except as provided for below.
3. By signing the CM-TEC, the Council Member shall certify that the expenses for which reimbursement is sought were incurred on behalf of the City in the performance of official duties and that they are in compliance with this policy and the City’s Administrative Procedure, Section VI-5 - Travel and Business Expense.
In the event that a receipt, invoice, cancelled check, or other documentation is lost, the Council Member shall make a good faith effort to obtain a duplicate copy. If documentation cannot be obtained, the Council Member may complete a City Council Missing Receipt Form (MRF) to document the details of the expense and describe how the expense was necessary to the performance of their official duties. It is understood that the use of an MRF shall be for rare, infrequent circumstances and shall not be abused. An MRF will not be accepted for expenditures over $100.00.
XI. ETHICS TRAINING
Per California Government Code §53235, since Council Members receive salary, transportation allowance, and reimbursements for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties, all Council Members shall receive at least two hours of training in general ethics principles and ethics laws relevant to their public service every two years.
XII. ELECTED CITY CLERK AND CITY TREASURER
Pursuant to California Government Code § 36517 the City Council sets the compensation for the elected City Clerk and City Treasurer. As elected City officials, part of their compensation is reimbursement for necessary City Travel.
The Elected City Clerk and City Treasurer reimbursement of travel expenses will be governed by the City’s Administrative Procedure, Section VI-5 - Travel and Business Expense , which governs travel reimbursement for all other City employees.
XIII. POLICY VIOLATIONS
Violations of this policy, including falsifying expense reports, may result in any or all of the following (Cal. Gov’t code §53232.4):
1. Loss of reimbursement privileges
2. Demand for restitution to the City
3. Any other applicable state or federal penalties, including criminal prosecution.