HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOW 2004-02-23 Item 3C - Council - City Council Travel Policy OptionCOUNCIL AGENDA SYNOPSIS
Meeting Date Prepared by
2/23/04 LL
Original Sponsor: Council x Admin.
Timeline:
Sponsor's Summary:
Initials
1 Mayor's review, Council review I
I). &P I L-W I
I I f
I I I
I I I
ITEM INFORMATION
CAS Number: 04-024
I Original Agenda Date: 2/23/04
Agenda Item Title: Discussion of Council Travel Policy Option
When the Finance and Safety Committee talked about how to manage the decreased
Council travel budget, they suggested giving each Council member a budget for
national travel. You can discuss that option.
Recommendations:
Sponsor: Discuss travel policy option
Committee: Finance and Safety recommended discussion of issue
Administration: Same as sponsor
Cost Impact (if None
known):
Fund Source (if known)
Meeting Date
2/23/04
Meeting Date
2/23/04
2/23/04
2/23/04
2/23/04
RECORD OF COUNCIL ACTION
Action
APPENDICES
Attachments
Memo from L Lauterbach 2/19/04
Table of 2004 Council Travel
Attachment C Draft changes to Council Travel Policy
Finance and Safety Committee minutes (2/17/04)
ITEM No.
3 c
To: City Council
From: Lucy Lauterbach
Date: February 19, 2004
Subject: City Council Travel Policy
Plans for travel this year have already been made, and if everyone is careful, we will stay within
our reduced travel budget of $17,000. Some of the past, current and future travel possibilities are
shown on a table on the following page.
Other cities have used a method of ensuring equal opportunities for travel for all Council
members. The Finance and Safety Committee discussed one such plan, and recommended it for
discussion by the full Council
The new proposal which could be implemented for the 2005 budget, would allot each Council
member a certain budget for travel. That budget could be used for travel to a local, state, or
national conference or training. Once that personal travel budget is used, travel would be
curtailed unless another Council member chose not to use his or her budget allotment. In that
case, money could go back into a central travel fund. The funds then could be requested to be
used by another Council member. Criteria for accessing the central travel fund would need to be
written.
This proposal could lead to members attending fewer conferences, and choosing which would be
the most important. It would give each Council member equal access to travel, whether or not
they were on a national committee.
Being unable to attend conferences where a national steering or policy board meeting a Council
member was on, could hamper participation in that area. The importance of maintaining a
presence on national committees could be a factor in supporting this change or not.
The proposed change would be a major change to the way travel is now planned. Currently
members on national committees are given permission to travel as needed to represent
themselves at national meetings. Others who want to travel are generally allowed to do so, as
long as the budget allows. If this change were instituted, travel would not be so automatic or as
often.
Discussion of whether this change would be beneficial or not can include whether the Council
chooses to include using justification forms for travel. These forms could be simple, and include
why the travel was requested and what benefit the city would receive.
1 Event
AWC Olympia
Conference
Council retreat
New Council Training 2/5
Note: AWC pays for Pam Carter's AWC though she pays registration after June, 2004
they'll pay for her NLC travel. That has been calculated for these tables.
Projected costs:
NLC Congressional
City D.C.
NLC City Families 4/28 -5/1
Portland, OR
AWC Conference
Ocean Shores
NLC Leadership
Conference
Charleston, SC
NLC Winter Conf
Indianapolis
1 Meals, parking, etc
1 Date 1 Attendees
1/27 -1/28 Carter Haggerton,
Robertson, Mullet,
Lauterbach
1/31 All Council Lucy
Robertson
Duffie Carter,
3/5 -10 Haggerton, Fenton
Any?
6/14 -18 3 Council Lucy?
9/ 23 -25
1 Council
11/30- 1 -2 Council?
12/4
1 2004 1 all
1 Housing, meals 1 Total cost
hotel $300
registrations $380 $730
meals $50
hotel 500
dinner 220
registration $85
$720
$85
registration $1,600
airfare $1,200
hotel $3,445
meals $500 $6,965
car travel $220
registr/hotel/travel
approx. $900each
registration $960
motel $1,250
registration $525
airfare $400?
hotel $500?
Approx. $1 -2,500
Approx 4,000 I 1
$14, 635
w/o meals
parking
ATTACHMENT C
Council Travel Guidelines
1. Statement of Policy
The Tukwila City Council encourages Council members to be actively involved in
city, county, state, regional, and national organizations that affect Tukwila, its residents,
and its businesses.
II. Decisions About Travel
It is the responsibility of the entire Council to approve travel by its members.
III. Purposes for Travel
A. Education
B. Lobbying
C. Professional responsibility, e.g., policy boards, offices, and committees
D. Public relations, i.e., representing the City
E. Fostering better relations with local, state, federal and sister city officials
IV. Travel Budgets
A. Budgets for Council travel will be set in the fall prior to the year the travel is to
occur.
B. Estimates of who shall travel in the next year will be made at budget time the
preceding year in order to set an adequate budget, which shall serve as a guide in
allocating travel for the following year.
C. The Council will consider the City's financial situation in setting their annual
travel budget.
V. Out of State Travel
A. National
1. Beginning each new budget year. after funds for local meetings and
meals are subtracted. each Council member will be allotted funds for travel to
state and national conferences. Any member who does not use his or her funds
can donate them to a central travel fund which can then be accessed by members
needing additional travel funds.
a. If no funds are remainina. travel plans must be cancelled or
otherwise accommodated.
b. Criteria for usina the central travel fund will be by awarding 10
points each for 11 not having traveled recently 21servina on a national
committee 31 attending trainina directly beneficial to the Council's work
that year.
m f that v ..r' budge#
2. If budaets allow. the
goal shall be to send two council members to each NLC Conference. This number does
not include any member who is attending an NLC Steering or Policy committee meeting.
If more than two members wish to attend a national conference, the City Council can
approve additional travel by a motion at a Regular Council Meeting.
3. Travel for a Council member on a national board or committee that requires
that Council member's attendance and will not count in the
number of council members traveling to a conference.
4. When more than two council members are interested in attending an NLC
conference, priority is given to the member(s) who has not attended a national
conference for the longest period.
5. After returning from a national conference, attendees will issue a report to
share the information and perspectives with the entire Council. If more than one
Council member attends, a consolidated report may be given.
B. Sister City Travel
1. Travel to a sister city will be planned in the budget for the year in which the
travel will take place.
2. Travel to a sister city will not preclude travel to a national conference.
3. The City will pay for basic travel on a sister city trip, including the
transportation, lodging, and meals included in the basic price for the trip. All other
expenses will be borne by the City Council member.
VI. In -State Travel
A. City Council travel to state conferences will generally be allowed for all
Council members whose travel budaets can accommodate such travel.
B. In the event the travel budget does not allow as many to travel as would like
to go, those who have not attended conferences recently shall have first preference.
C. Travel to state conferences will not affect opportunities for a Council member
to travel to national conferences.
VII. Travel Expenses
The City will pay for airfare, registration, hotel, and meals when a Council
member is on official travel.
B. When a spouse or non -City person accompanies the Council member on
travel, his /her expenses will be separately paid in full by that person, and the City will
not assume any extra costs for that companion.
C. A record of expenses for lodging, meals, transportation, and incidental
expenses should be kept on a daily basis, with receipts attached to the record. An
itemized bill should be kept for meals, especially when several persons' costs are
included.
D. A detailed bill or other itemization of the cost should accompany a city credit
card receipt for costs. The credit card should not be used for any non -city expenses,
such as spouse meals or lodging.
VIII. Travel Arrangements
A. City Council travel should be processed through the Legislative Analyst, who
will coordinate with the entire Council. The Legislative Analyst can make arrangements
for travel, if desired, and copies will be given to the member who will travel.
B. Efforts will be made to secure the best cost for airline travel and lodgings in
the designated travel city by planning ahead, and by taking advantage of any discounts
available.
C. Council members can get travel advancements by completing the required
forms in a timely manner.
IX. Miscellaneous
A. When a City vehicle is available, it should be used for intra -state travel.
B. If a Council member uses his or her personal vehicle, mileage will be
reimbursed according to Internal Revenue Service rules.
t
Finance and Safety Committee
February 17, 2004
DRAFT
Present: Dave Fenton, Chair; Joan Hernandez, Dennis Robertson
Jim Morrow, Frank Iriarte, Viki Jessop, Rhonda Berry, Alan Doerschel, Lucy
Lauterbach
1. Council Chamber Uoerades This issue had been to the COW with a request to pare down
the costs, which the engineer's estimate had pegged at $664,000 initially. There was some
confusion about what a basic package would cost, and the item was referred back to committee.
There were sketches of how some new equipment would be placed in the room. The new cost of
all improvements would be $503,000. The Committee talked about implementing only parts of
the plan, or the whole plan. Dennis argued for putting in the bare necessities of the sound system,
which staff emphasized as necessary for various upcoming hearings and cases that will need to
be transcribed if the system is not improved.
Joan said she also wanted to upgrade the audience seating and carpet, and to improve the look of
the whole room, which she said gives a poor impression to visitors. To improve the ability to
plug in power point computers would move the project more toward doing everything, since
once electronics work is started, everything must be torn out and it makes sense to replace things
then. Labor and materials costs are mixed together in part of the proposal, and there is a 25%
increase for all the labor since it must be done outside of normal work hours. There was also
discussion about biting the bullet and upgrading the Chamber once and for all, as no major
upgrades have been done since it was built thirty years ago. Putting band -aid replacements in as
things fall apart could save money now only to cost more later. Both sides of doing little now or
doing everything now were touched on, with no final consensus from the Committee. Refer
issue to COW.
2. Citv Administrator Position Viki had drafted an ordinance covering the issue of the city
administrator needing to live in the city. A provision was added for the Mayor and Council to be
able to waive this condition if they agreed to do so. The Committee supported the ordinance.
Recommend ordinance to COW.
3. SWKC Chamber Contract Alan said the 2004 contract was similar to last year's contract,
with the same service levels. Joan ensured that Chamber representation on Equity and Diversity
was spelled out. The Committee questioned Service B, which had wording about the Chamber
having information about "City projects, facility, issues and services Alan will check with the
Chamber on that, and instead will perhaps reference the Government Affairs Committee of the
Chamber. Recommend Contract to COW.
4. Council Travel Policy With the Council's travel budget having been cut in 2004, the
Committee considered ways to deal with it. They agreed there should be justification for all
travel, which explains the proposed benefit the Council member will receive from travel.
Joan proposed what some other cities have done, which is to divide the travel budget among all
the Council members. If each member got a certain amount of money, she/he could plan to use
that funding for a trip. If no more money were available, it could be donated from another
member's "pot" of money if one person did not intend to use it. However, this system would
allow each Council member to travel if he /she wanted to do so. Refer to COW.
Committee chair approval