Policy No.: 100.002
Resolution No.: RR30-13
Date Approved: 04/08/2013
Supersedes the following Resolutions & Policies: 3-83; R34-02; RR31-05

Policy

(Approved by the Board of Park Commissioners.)

Purpose:

The Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma (Metro Parks Tacoma) is accountable to its citizens for its use of public dollars. The limited financial resources of Metro Parks Tacoma must be wisely used to ensure adequate funding to support the services, public facilities, and infrastructure necessary to meet the community’s present and future needs.

This Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy establishes when approval from the Board of Park Commissioners is required and establishes a requirement that the Executive Director develop procedures to implement policy directives of the Board.

The policy is designed to provide elected and appointed officials, employees, and others who incur authorized travel, subsistence, registration, and related expenses while on Metro Parks Tacoma business, reasonable and timely mechanisms for the reimbursement and/or the advancement of necessary expenditures.

Additionally, the Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy will provide policy direction and guidance regarding reimbursement for non-travel related expenditures incurred in the conduct of business on behalf of Metro Parks Tacoma.

Policy Requirements:

Section I.

The Board of Park Commissioners is charged with establishing the policy direction for Metro Parks Tacoma under Washington State law. Sound business practice and good government dictates that the Board establishes policies regarding the fiscal activities of Metro Parks Tacoma in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

Section II.

Travel is defined as payment or reimbursement of authorized expenditures lawfully incurred by public officials, employees, and others while on official Metro Parks Tacoma business. These expenditures include, but are not limited to, transportation, lodging, meals, parking, and other expenses related to official Metro Parks Tacoma business.

Section III.

On a biennial basis following the adoption of the new biennial budget, the travel and conference budget established for the Board of Park Commissioners shall be equally divided between the five commissioners.

A. Each commissioner shall be responsible for the management of their individual travel and conference budget over the biennium and no further approval is required for use of an individual commissioner’s travel and conference budget provided that all costs of the travel are fully covered by the individual commissioner’s allocation.

B. Any travel or conference costs incurred over and above the individual commissioner’s allocation shall be the responsibility of the individual commissioner unless the additional costs have been authorized by a majority vote of the Board of Park Commissioners.

C. When traveling on business for Metro Parks Tacoma, commissioners are required to comply with the Travel Policy and its administrative procedures in a manner similar to an employee of Metro Parks Tacoma.

D. Travel by members of the Board of Park Commissioners should be on parks, recreation, or zoological business or in furtherance of local government operations.

E. Should a current commissioner fully utilize the individual commissioner’s allocation for travel and not be re-elected to the Board of Park Commissioners, the newly elected commissioner shall be entitled to a pro-rated travel and conference allocation based upon the total individual commissioner allocation in relation to the remaining period of the biennium.

F. In the case when emergency travel is necessary by a member of the Board of Park Commissioners and where such travel would exceed an individual commissioner’s allocation, the President of the Board is authorized to approve such travel. An emergency is defined as an unforeseen circumstance beyond the control of an individual commissioner or Metro Parks Tacoma and is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare and that observing the normal process would be contrary to the public interest. The Board of Park Commissioners shall at its next regular meeting approve any additional funding required by the emergency travel.

Section IV.

The Board of Park Commissioners grants the following authority to the Executive Director for travel and expense reimbursement for Metro Parks Tacoma as follows:

A. The Executive Director shall establish the necessary administrative procedures for carrying out the intent of the Board’s policy direction. The Executive Director shall utilize applicable local, state, or federal laws and regulations in establishing the administrative procedures required. The Executive Director may not utilize the travel and expense reimbursement authority granted under this policy until the administrative procedures have been established.

B. Travel by the Executive Director outside the United States or Canada shall require the approval of the President or Clerk of the Board of Park Commissioners.

C. The Board of Park Commissioners reserves the rights to modify, change, add, or delete the authority limits granted to the Executive Director.