City of Santa Clara
Council Policy Manual
GUIDELINES FOR COMMISSIONERS
FOR ATTENDANCE AT CONFERENCES AND TRAINING EVENTS
Revised June 27, 2023 Council Policy 006 Page 1 of 2
PURPOSE The purpose of this Policy is to establish crit eria for B oards and Commissions travel to conferences and training events.
POLICY Each City C ommission has a separate budget to pay for members’ attendance at appropriate conferences and training pr ograms. These guidelines were established by the City Council in 1997 and amended in 2003 and 2010 bas ed on the City’s Budget Principles . In general, the policy disc ourages international and out -of-state travel for conferences and training events.
TRAVEL
GUIDELINES
1. Official travel must be related to the Commissioner’s roles or duties and approved by the City Commission.
2. Attendance at conferences and training events s hould be rotated as much as feasible among members of each City Commission.
3. All travel req uests must be pre- approved by the Board or Commission prior to travel ar rangements. Exceptions will be made for urgent or late travel requests, which occur before the Board or Commission convene s, these requests may be approved by the City Manager.
4. The C ity of Santa Cl ara is fiscally responsible and endorses the proper use of City assets to help ensure the C ity’s fiscal stability. If the City Commi ssion believes that the out -of-state conference is highly important, and if sufficient funding is available wi thin the existing budget then approval by the City Manager is required.
5. No more than two members of a City commission may attend any specific out-of-state conference or training event.
6. No more than three members of a City commission may attend any specific conference and training event held within the State of California. If more than three members of a City commission wish to attend a conference within the State of California, if sufficient funding is available within the existing budget, working with the staff li aison, the City C ommission may send more than three members to the conference upon a vote of the City C ommission, without requiring additional City Council approval.
City of Santa Clara
Council Policy Manual
GUIDELINES FOR COMMISSIONERS
FOR ATTENDANCE AT CONFERENCES AND TRAINING EVENTS
Revised June 27, 2023 Council Policy 006 Page 2 of 2
7. Attendance at a n international conference or training held outside of the Unit ed States requires special approval by the City Council.
Out-of-country travel is not recommended.
8. One-day meetings that do not requ ire an overnight stay are allowed as long as the total budget is not exceeded.
9. Overnight lodging for travel may be approved by the City Manager or depending on whether an extensive commute is re quired t o attend the conference/event.
10. A sp ecial situation exists for the Historical & Landmarks Commission which has a formally designated advisor as requi red for the City’s Certified Local Government status. The Commission may choose to send the advisor ins tead of a member of the commission.
11. Per AB 1234 requirements, Commissioners should report ver bally on conference and training attendance at the subsequent meeting of the C ommission. A brief wr itten report from the Commissioner may be substi tuted for th e ver bal report. (S ee t he “Resource Material” section of “Board and Commission Handbook and Survival Guide” for more information.)