Travel Expense Reimbursement

City and county travel reimbursement policies must be adopted by ordinance or resolution by the council or commission in accordance with RCW 42.24.090. In some cases jurisdictions have codified their policies; in others they have passed an ordinance or resolution stating that the rules governing reimbursement will be set by administrative policies and procedures.

Cities and counties have a variety of approaches to reimbursing officials and employees for travel expenses. Some permit a draw from a travel expense revolving fund for some expenditures; others require the individual to pay the costs and be reimbursed. Some give officials and employees a per diem amount for food; others require the individuals to turn in their receipts and reimburse only for the amount actually spent. Policies for mileage reimbursement for the use of one's own vehicle differ also. Some reimbursement policies pay at the official IRS rate. Others pay less. The reimbursement rate is $ .585 per mile beginning  August 2008 (See Rev. Proc. 2006-49; see also U. S. General Services Association "Privately Owned Vehicle Reimbursement Rates (POV)" Check out the various policies in our Reimbursement of Travel Expenses page to find features that might suit your jurisdiction.

Reference Sources

• Statutes - RCW 42.24.090
• Reimbursement of Travel Expenses: Sample Ordinances, Policies and Procedures
• Washington State Office of Financial Management ( 98kb) (Policies and Procedures)
• Bellevue Travel Policy, 1997.
• Bellingham Policy, Paying Travel Expenses, FIN 18.00.01, 2003.
• Blaine Policy & Procedure, Employee Travel, Training, Subsistence and Incidental Expenses Policy, # 04-05, 1995.