Chapter 3.53
TRAVEL ADVANCE FUND

Sections:

3.53.010    Travel advance fund established.

3.53.020    Travel advances.

3.53.010 Travel advance fund established.

There is created and established a revolving checking account within the current expense fund, to be designated as the “travel advance fund.” Ten thousand dollars is authorized for the travel advance fund. The finance director will be custodian of the travel advance fund. Expenditures from the fund will be to elected officials, managers and employees for cash advances for travel on official city business approved by the department head and the city’s auditing officer. All such expenditures shall be reimbursed in like amount to the fund. (Ord. 2318 § 1, 2000).

3.53.020 Travel advances.

Travel advances shall be requested by submitting a detailed travel budget, on a form approved by the finance director to the travel advance custodian no later than four business days prior to the departure on the approved travel. The travel advance custodian will write a check in the name of the employee or official requesting the travel advance. Upon return from the official travel, the employee or official receiving the travel advance will submit all detailed receipts with a travel voucher and any unused funds to the travel advance fund custodian. The travel advance custodian will write a check to the employee or official if the actual travel costs exceed the budgeted travel advance for the amount over the original budget if the unbudgeted travel costs are approved by the department head and the city’s auditing officer. Subject to the following restrictions:

(1) The elected official or employee issued a travel advance shall immediately sign a receipt for the same, which statement shall also include acknowledgement that the elected official or employee understands the limitations put on the use of the travel advance and that any misuse thereof shall constitute a misuse of public funds.

(2) The travel advance may be used solely for expenses incident to authorized, appropriated, official travel on city business.

(3) The elected official or employee shall obtain a receipt for each purchase made with the travel advance, and shall promptly submit the same, together with a fully itemized expense voucher, to the city finance department not more than four business days after returning from the travel on official city business. Any travel advance expenditures which are not properly identified on the expense voucher, or which are disallowed by the auditing authority, shall be immediately reimbursed to the city by the official or employee in the form of cash or a salary deduction. If, for any reason, a disallowed charge is not repaid within 10 business days of the return from the travel on official city business, the city shall have a prior lien against and a right to withhold any and all funds payable or to become payable to the official or employee up to the amount of the disallowed expenditure, plus interest at the same rate as earned by participants in the State Treasurer’s Local Government Investment Pool plus three percentage points. (Ord. 2318 § 1, 2000).