Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 10790 City of Palo Alto (ID # 10790) Policy and Services Committee Staff Report Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 11/12/2019 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: Council Procedures and Protocols Including Travel Policy Title: Review Council Procedures and Protocols to Recommend Revisions to Section 7, Travel and Miscellaneous Expense Policy From: City Manager Lead Department: City Manager Recommendation Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee discuss the following section of the City Council Procedures and Protocols (CPP) Handbook and recommend revisions to incorporate for review by the City Council: • Travel Policy (Attachment A) Background The City Council Procedures and Protocols (CPP) Handbook, Section 7 – City Council and Boards and Commissions Policy for Travel and Miscellaneous Expense Reimbursement (Attachment A) describes the purpose and process for reporting and reimbursing travel and miscellaneous expenses that may be incurred by the City Council. It likewise applies to members of City Boards and Commissions. The Travel Policy will be reviewed at the November 12, 2019 Policy and Services Committee meeting. Additional CPP changes will return at the December 10, 2019 Policy and Services Committee meeting for review and recommendations and the review of Section 2.4 – Council Conduct with Palo Alto Boards and Commissions will go directly to City Council for discussion in January 2020. Discussion The City Council Procedures and Protocols (CPP) Handbook describes the way the Palo Alto City Council does its business and is a directional guide. It is intended to accomplish two goals: First, the handbook is an informational guide for anyone doing business or appearing before the City Council. Second, the handbook is a compilation of Procedures and Protocols that have been formally adopted by Council Resolution. Municipal Code 2.04.100 states the following related to the handbook: City of Palo Alto Page 2 Municipal Code 2.04.100 - Handbook of procedural rules The council shall adopt by resolution a handbook of procedural rules governing any aspect of the conduct of meetings and hearings for the council and its standing committees, including but not limited to agenda requirements, the order of business, rules of order, rules of evidence, closed session procedures and rules for public participation in meetings. The handbook of procedural rules shall be deemed guidelines and failure to comply with any procedural rule shall not be the basis for challenge to or invalidation of any action of the council, nor shall they be construed to create any independent remedy or right of action of any kind. In addition, the CPP includes a provision for the Policy and Services Committee to annually review the CPP as stated below from Section 5 – Enforcement: Section 5 – Enforcement Council Members have the primary responsibility to assure that these protocols are understood and followed, so that the public can continue to have full confidence in the integrity of government. As an expression of the standards of conduct expected by the City for Council Members, the protocols are intended to be self-enforcing. They therefore become most effective when members are thoroughly familiar with them and embrace their provisions. For this reason, Council Members entering office shall sign a statement affirming they have read and understood the Council protocols. In addition, the protocols shall be annually reviewed by the Policy and Services Committee and updated as necessary. City Council discussed the CPP at their October 29th, 2018 meeting. At this meeting, Council referred the review of additional discretionary changes to the CPP to the Policy and Services Committee. Policy and Services reviewed the CPP at their November 13, 2018 meeting. No suggested changes were ever recommended to the full Council. The most recent Council- adopted version is dated 2013 and is available on the City Council Webpage: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/8258 At this time, Section 7 (Attachment A) is to be reviewed. The current version of Section 7 is dated March 2006 in the 2013 CCP. It is possible that our policies and process are not current best practices or may require greater detail or inclusion of new or changed activities or other considerations. A previously edited version of Section 7 is Attachment B. This version, dated 2016, was provided by the Administrative Services Division and was edited to align with the City’s Travel Policy at that time. When considering the overall policy, one aspect could be recommended changes to the annual budget and how that budget is allocated. The current (FY20) City Council budget for Travel & Meetings is $25,000 for all Councilmembers, conference and travel combined. Other local City of Palo Alto Page 3 jurisdictions were queried on their current practices and what follows is that information: • Menlo Park: The budget for City Council’s conference/travel is $40,000 for FY 2020. There is no separation in the budget between the Mayor and Council Members, so all conference/travel is combined. • Mountain View: $7,500 per fiscal year per Councilmember, and is for travel and conferences (airfare, mileage, conference registration fees, meals while travelling, etc.). Two conference registration fees up to $600 each are paid for from another budget line and do not come out of the $7,500. • Sunnyvale: Each Councilmember receives $9,000 per fiscal year, with an additional $9,000 for the seat serving as Mayor ($18,000 total). The budget does not roll over if unused. Other jurisdictions’ policies have been gathered by the City Clerk; these are found at this link: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/73487. (Note: Because of the size of this file of examples, it is available in electronic format only.) Timeline, Resource Impact, Policy Implications (If Applicable) At this time, Section 7 is to be reviewed (Attachment A). The current version is dated March 2006 in the 2013 CCP. Additional CPP changes will return at the December 10, 2019 meeting for review and recommendations, focusing on cleanup language including potential changes discussed in 2018 and additional recommended updates. The current (FY20) City Council budget for Travel & Meetings is $25,000. Potential increase in budget allocation and staff costs could result from recommendations related to any increase. Staff will bring cost increases or changes, if any, to City Council along with Committee recommendations. Stakeholder Engagement Prior to the November 13, 2018 Policy and Services Committee discussion on the CPP, staff asked Council to share their thoughts on how the CPP could be improved. Attachments: • Attachment A: CPP Sec7 • Attachment B: Travel Section for CPP-ASD edits 2016 SECTION 7 - CITY COUNCIL AND BOARDS AND COMMISSSIONS POLICY FOR TRAVEL AND MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT, March 2006 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS This policy is set by the City Council and applies to Council Members and to Board and Commissions members, who will be referred to as “Officials” in the policy. In reimbursing travel and miscellaneous expenses, a municipal purpose requiring the expenditure of public funds must be in evidence; also, in accord with the Charter and Municipal Code, such expenditures must be from authorized appropriations. 7.1 - Eligible Activities The following activities (“Eligible Activities”) are recognized by the Council as advancing municipal purposes and are eligible for expense reimbursement, subject to limitations on activities and specific and total expenditures described elsewhere in this policy: A. Communicating with representatives of regional, state and national government on adopted city policy positions; B. Attending educational seminars designed to improve officials’ skill and information levels; C. Participating in regional, state and national organizations whose activities affect the city’s City’s interest; D. In collaboration with city City staff, implementing a city-approved strategy for attracting or retaining businesses to the cityCity. All other expenditures require prior approval by the City Council at a regular or special meeting. 7.2 - Out-of-Town Conferences or Meetings A. Reimbursement All payments for travel and meetings shall be on the basis of either reimbursement of expenses advanced by the Council Member/Official or payments made directly to travel agencies/websites, hotels, airlines or the organization sponsoring the meeting. All requests for payments or reimbursements must be accompanied by supporting vouchers, invoices or paid detailed receipts and a copy of descriptive literature about the conference or meeting. The City Clerk, Mayor or Chair for Officials must approve, in advance, individual travel requests for out-of-town meetings and conferences, e.g., Annual League of California Cities Conference, National League of Cities Conference, etc., including Eligible Activates.[Beth has been approving travel] Allowable expenses for local or Bay Area Eligible Activates do not require prior approval by the Mayor or Chair. The total reimbursement shall not exceed the budget adopted by the Council for this purpose. All reimbursements shall comply with the limits of Policy and Procedures 1-02 (Citywide Travel Policy). Expense reports should be submitted within 30 days of end of trip. Inability to provide such documentation in a timely fashion may result in expense being borne by the Council Member or Official. B. Meals and Incidentals Notwithstanding the preceding general policy regarding reimbursement, a Council Member or Official may submit a payment request (supported by conference literature) for advance payment of meals and incidentals allowance according to the Internal Revenue Service authorized mileage reimbursement rate and payment for meals and incidentals consistent with City Policy and Procedures 1-02. If the amount advanced is exceeded, additional reimbursement may be requested upon return from the meeting. Requests for additional reimbursement must be supported by a detailed report and receipts for all meals and incidentals. The Mayor shall pre-approve additional reimbursements, and if the expenses are determined to be excessive, they may not be approved. The City will provide a per diem (“per day’) allowance for meals and incidentals to Council Members or Officials who are approved to travel overnight for official City business. Council Members or Officials will receive a flat rate for meals and will not be required to submit receipts. The per diem rate varies and is dependent on the destination of travel. The rates for the various travel destinations are available on the U.S. General Services Administration website (http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104877). When meals are provided at an event, the value of that meal will be deducted from the daily per diem rate. Travelers will receive 75% of the daily per diem amount on days requiring transportation to and from the location (i.e., departure day and return day) regardless of departure and arrival times. Meals provided on days of travel shall be deducted at full-value. Incidental Expenses Incidental expenses related to City business shall be reimbursed at cost as supported by submitted receipts. Incidental expenses may include hotel parking charges, Internet conection services, and telephone charges. The actual costs for parking will be reimbursed when approval to use a personal vehicle or rental car is obtained in advance. Council Members or Officials should use the lowest cost alternative for parking within a reasonable area from the destination. Internet connection services purchased to conduct City business are reimbursable. Other charges on the hotel bill, such as pay-TV movies, cleaning, laundry, room service charges or charges for additional guests are not reimbursable. C. Lodging Expense Council Members or Officials shall select single occupancy, standard, non-deluxe accommodations and should stay at hotels offering economical lodging rates. When possible, travelers attending a conference or seminar should stay at conference hotels, which offer a negotiated rate. Field Code Changed Formatted: Font: 11 pt Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5" Formatted: Font: (Default) Arial, 11 pt Formatted: Font: (Default) Arial, 11 pt The City will not reimburse any cost related to the extension of a hotel stay beyond the time necessary to complete the event. An out-of-state trip involving cross-county travel may require hotel accommodations both before and after the conference or training. Within California and adjoining states, an extra night’s hotel stay should not be necessary if flight arrangements can be made the same day. The use of hotels is restricted to cities located beyond 50 miles (one-way) from the City of Palo Alto or the traveler’s residence (whichever is shortest). For example, if the destination is Sacramento and you live in Palo Alto (118 miles) or Oakland (81 miles), you would qualify for a hotel (and per diem for meals). However, if you live in Vacaville (35 miles) or Lodi (36 miles) you would not qualify for a hotel. Reimbursements or payment of hotel bills will be limited to the highest group or governmental rate available and will cover room charges, applicable taxes and any other item listed in this policy for the Council Member or Official. Telephone calls to Palo Alto City Hall may be made collect. Other charges on the bill such as Expenses incurred for extra guests of the traveler and the like are not reimbursable. D. Transportation • Air Transportation Reimbursement or payment will be limited to economy class commercial air carrier, or an available group travel rate if lower. Council Members or Officials shall fly economy class on the lowest flight available for the most direct route to the final destination, which could reasonably include scheduled layovers. Council Members or Officials are encouraged to make air reservations as early as feasible to obtain the greatest discount and to consider the use of alternate but nearby airports to take advantage of the lowest fares. Extension of the trip to cover a weekend stay to obtain a lower airfare does not entitle the Council Member or Official to be reimbursed for the extra day’s hotel costs or meal expenses. Council Members or Officials may use City travel to qualify for frequent flyer credits, but the selection of an airline for a given trip shall not be made for the purpose of accumulating such credits. Council Members or Officials that choose to use their personal frequent flyer miles for City business shall not be reimbursed for the value of the tickets. If the airline charges for all checked baggage, the City will cover the cost for one checked bag only. Excess baggage charges are not reimbursable. • Rental Cars Rental cars shall be approved if other ground transportation, such as shuttles or taxis, is more expensive during the stay at the destination. Only economy or compact car models may be rented unless an upgrade is provided by the rental agency at no additional cost. Because the City is self-insured, Council Members or Officials should decline any additional insurance offered by the rental company. Council Members or Officials must also decline the Fuel Purchase Options (which allows for prepayment of a gas tank refill) and shall refuel prior to returning the rental car. Rental car options such as GPS devices and any other extra optional charges are not reimbursable. The use of a rental car, in lieu of a private auto, to travel to and from an out of town event will be reimbursed either at the current IRS mileage rate or the car rental cost apportioned for the number of days used for City business, whichever is less. • Private Automobiles Private automobiles may be used for personal or group transportation on extended trips. Reimbursement shall be made at the current IRS mileage rate. The distance to be reimbursed shall be measured from the place of work and from the employee’s home, and the calculated mileage reimbursement shall be based upon which of the two distances is shorter. established by the Internal Revenue Service authorized mileage reimbursement rate consistent with the City Policy and Procedures 1-02. Mileage reimbursement for private automobiles shall not exceed the cost of round trip air transportation (economy class) for a reservation made at least seven days in advance of the trip.and rental car, if applicable, or an available group travel rate if lower. • Rental Car • Shuttle/Taxi 7.3 - Local or Bay Area Activities Council Members or Officials who have been requested or designated to represent the City may receive the actual cost of: A. Meals, if they are a scheduled feature of the activity, e.g., SCCCA dinner meetings. B. Registration fees where applicable. C. Mileage if activity is outside the City (mileage claims should be submitted monthly, with details: date and type of meeting, number of miles traveled to be indicated), consistent with City Policy and Procedures 1-02. D. Council Members and Officials may be reimbursed by the City for use of a private bicycle to attend local or Bay Area activities outside the City of Palo Alto consistent with City Policy and Procedures 2-9. 7.4 - Other Expenses A. Ethics Training Expenses – AB1234 requires ethics training every two years and such fee and related expenses are eligible for reimbursement. 7.5 - Activities Not Considered Reimbursable A. Voluntary attendance at any conference or meeting, not representing the City. B. Meetings of social or service organizations. C. Meetings of voter groups or with individual citizens concerned with agenda items. D. Election campaign activities. E. Alcohol and entertainment expenses. F. Personal portion of the trip and other non-mileage automobile expenses. 7.6 - Reports to Council Council Members and Officials shall provide brief verbal reports on meetings attended at the City’s expense at the next regular Council/Board/Commission meeting. If multiple Officials attended, a joint report may be made. All related documents are subject to the Public Records Act and can be periodically reviewed by auditors.