The District encourages the use of the I.M.P.A.C. card for all legitimate travel expenses.

Whenever any person in the service of the District is compelled to travel in the performance of his/her duties, he/she shall be reimbursed for his/her actual and necessary expenditures for registration, transportation, lodging, and meals. Reimbursement shall be as prescribed by the County Department of Personnel Management, and in accordance with pertinent subdivisions of this section. Receipts are required for registration, transportation, lodging and meals. Payment for expenses over amounts consistent with the county policy must be authorized by the District Administrator, subject to approval by the Board.

Reimbursement for the cost of lodging is limited to the actual cost incurred. Generally, such costs should not exceed the maximum federal rate (domestic) or the maximum Runzheimer rate (if higher than the IRS rate) excluding tax, per day. The District is not responsible for reimbursement for premium upgrades (ocean views, king-size beds, suites, etc.).

Domestic Per Diem Rates are available through the Runzheimer Index.

Reimbursement for meals shall be made only when travel extends for a minimum of six (6)hours during the normal working day. In order to be reimbursed for the cost of meals, travel must begin before the times reflected on the following schedule:

MEAL                              TRAVEL BEGINS BEFORE
Breakfast                                         7am
Lunch                                              11am
Dinner                                              5pm

Any combination of meal per diems cannot be combined and used for a single meal.

In addition, the trip must last for a minimum of six (6) hours, ending after 7 pm, to qualify for dinner. For purposes of determining eligibility for reimbursement, travel shall be considered to begin when the traveler departs his/her residence if the trip begins before or after normal office hours. If the trip begins during normal office hours, travel shall be considered to begin when the traveler departs his/her office.

Meals within Sacramento County not included with a conference or meeting will not be reimbursed to the employee.

Current Per Diem meal rates will be maintained by the Director of Administrative Services. All meal reimbursement requests must be accompanied by a receipt. Reimbursement will be the exact cost up to the current per diem rate.

Normally, travel will be by the most reasonable means available, taking into consideration requirements for reimbursement for meals and lodging and employee time devoted to travel at the expense of performance of other duties.

A. Common Carrier

1.Transportation by common carrier shall be reimbursable at actual cost.

2.Air coach will be used for air travel unless otherwise specifically authorized by the District Administrator.

3.The Employee will be responsible for the redeeming of unused tickets, or portions of unused ticket vouchers and return funds to the District.

4.Airline tickets may be purchased on a “non-refundable” basis when it is deemed most economical for the District.

5.The Employee’s Supervisor may authorize an additional day’s lodging if the cost of the economy airline rate justifies an early arrival or a late departure.

6.Charges for any premium upgrades will not be paid by the District.

7.The District will reimburse fees charged for one (1) piece of luggage, additional luggage charges will not be paid by the District.

B. Travel by Private Vehicles

Authorized travel will be reimbursed at the rate per mile prescribed by the current IRS standard mileage rate for business miles driven.

If employees choose to travel by private vehicle, they must possess a valid driver’slicense and have sufficient public liability and property damage insurance, at least equal to the requirements of the financial responsibility laws of the State of California.

(Vehicle Code Sec. 16430).

While traveling on official District business, the following expenses are reimbursable at actual cost upon presentation of original receipts:

A. Necessary taxicab, shuttle transportation or bridge tolls as stated in the Runzheimer Index.
B. Conference or seminar registration fees and associated tapes, reports, etc., which can be shown to be of significant value to the participant in his/her work for theDistrict.
C. Parking fees.
D. Postage.
E. Other expenses may be approved based on a review of the circumstances.

While traveling on official District business, the following expenses are reimbursable at actual cost, without receipts:

A. Metered parking and parking in unattended lots (maximum of $6 per travel day).
B. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) fares (fee schedule must be attached to final travel reimbursement request).
C. Shuttle transportation from the destination airport to the hotel on the date of arrival will be reimbursed at $15 per event. Shuttle transportation from the hotel to the destination airport on the date of departure will be reimbursed at $15. Destination cities that are included in the Runzheimer Index will be reimbursed at the current published price or the least expensive alternative for shuttle transportation. Amounts in excess of the aforementioned rates will be reimbursed based on actual receipts only.

A. Baby-sitting fees
B. Personal toiletries
C. Personal care expenses
D. Traffic fines or parking tickets
E.  Hotel luxury upgrades
F.  Expenses associated with a non-employee who accompanies the employee on official business
G.  Alcoholic beverages

The District will pay for all events included in a conference registration fee. Where a conference includes other optional events at an additional cost, the Employee must be able to justify the business relationship of the event. Networking with other attendees is not a valid business relationship. Where an optional event is not business-related and includes a meal, the traveler can be reimbursed up to the maximum meal reimbursement rate.

Example 1: A conference includes an optional dinner event at a resort with entertainment provided. The cost of the dinner trip is $50.00. Since there is no business purpose, the employee can request reimbursement for the current maximum meal rate.

Example 2: A conference includes an optional tour of the world famous San Diego Wild Animal Park, with no meal provided. This event is not reimbursable.
Example 3: The conference of Water Quality Officials includes a tour (or a tour and a meal) of the local water treatment plant and a discussion of how the entity has utilized the latest technology. The person traveling works for the County of Sacramento in the water treatment plant. The traveler would submit a statement that this tour was related to his/her job with the County. The cost of this event would be reimbursable to the employee.

The District will pay 100% of registration or conference fees to the conference provider and will consider approval of requests for an advance to the traveler for up to 90 percent of the estimated lodging and meal expenses for official travel. In addition, travel advances may include up to 50 percent of the estimated personal private mileage reimbursement.

Advance Reconciliation
Within 10 working days after return from a trip, a traveler must account for all advances pertaining to that trip by submitting all necessary receipts and a completed travel reimbursement request form to the Director of Administrative Services. Any excess of advances over expenses must be refunded immediately by check from the traveler made payable to Mission Oaks Recreation and Park District.

Reimbursement
A travel reimbursement request in the amount of the actual travel expense incurred by the traveler must be forwarded to Accounts Payable to be parked on COMPASS to complete the process.