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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOCSD 15-06 (REPEALED)RESOLUTION NO. OCSD 15-06 A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT ADOPTING A REVISED POLICY REGARDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS' EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT AND MEETING ATTENDANCE AND COMPENSATION AND REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. OCSD 14-04 WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code section 53232.2, the Board of Directors has adopted a written policy specifying the types of occurrences that qualify a member of the Board of Directors to receive reimb u rsement of expenses related to travel, meals, lodging, and other actual and necessary expenses; and WHEREAS, the District currently has no uniform procedure for calculating and reimburs ing travel expenses for meetings; and WHEREAS, the Board of Directors desires to revise its policies to standardize the calculation and re imbursement of travel expenses for meetings; NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of Directors of Orange County Sanitation District, DOES HEREBY RESOLVE, DETERMINE AND ORDER: Section 1: Adoption of Policy and Establishment of Procedures. The Board of Directors hereby adopts the revised Policy Regarding Board of Directors ' Expense Reimbursement and Meeting Attendance and Compensation , set forth on Exhibit "A", attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. Section 2: Rescission of Incons istent Resolutions and Policies. Resolution No. OCSD 14-04 is hereby rescinded. In addition , any prior resolutions and/or pol icies established by the Board of Directors that are in conflict with the policy set forth in Exhibit "A" shall be deemed rescinded to the extent of such conflict. PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors held February 25 , 2015, of the Board 1069790 .1 Tom Beamish Chairman of the Board OCSD 15-06-1 REPEALED BY OCSD 18-20 STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) ) SS COUNTY OF ORANGE ) I, Kelly Lore, Acting Clerk of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Sanitation District, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution No. OCSD 15-06 was passed and adopted at a regular meeting of said Board on the 25th day of February, 2015 , by the following vote, to wit: AYES: Beamish; Choi; Curry; Ferryman ; Jones; Kiley; Kim ; Kring; Massa-Lavitt (Alternate) Mills; R. Murphy; Nagel; Nielsen; Peterson (Alternate); Sebourn; Shawver; F. Smith; T. Smith; Tinajero; Wanke; Withers; and Yarc NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Bartlett ; Diep and Parker IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of Orange County Sanitation District this 25th day of February, 2015 . 10 6979 0 .1 OCSD 15-06-2 EXHIBIT "A" ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT POLICY REGARDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS' EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT AND MEETING ATTENDANCE AND COMPENSATION This Policy applies to all regular District Board Members and Alternate Board Members. ARTICLE I: TERMS AND DEFINITIONS As used in this Policy, the following terms shall have the identified meanings. "Accountable Plan" shall mean the Internal Revenue Service Publication No. 463 for Travel, Entertainment, Gift and Car Expenses, or any successor publication. "Alternate Board Member" shall mean a Member of the District's Board of Directors designated by the Director's agency to serve in the absence of the Board Member. "Board Chair" shall mean the Member of the District's Board of Directors who has been elected by the other Members to serve as Chair. "Board Vice-Chair" shall mean the Member of the District's Board of Directors who has been elected by the other Members to serve as Vice-Chair. Whenever this Policy authorizes or requires the Board Chair to act, the Board Vice-Chair may act in the event that the Board Chair is reasonably unavailable to act. "Board Member" shall mean a Member of the District's Board of Directors, appointed by a member agency pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Section 4730.65. "Director" shall mean a Member of the District's Board of Directors, and is the same as "Board Member" as described above. "Incidentals" shall mean any minor, miscellaneous expense incurred during travel, including but not limited to, telephone, facsimile or computer connection service, local ground transportation, baggage handling and storage, and snacks. "Travel Liaison" shall mean the Secretary to the General Manager, or such other employee as designated in writing by the General Manager. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-3 ARTICLE II. BUSINESS AND TRAVEL EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT Section 1: General Provisions. The District shall reimburse Board Members for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties, in accordance with this Article II. Reimbursable expenses include, but are not necessarily limited to, expenses related to travel, meals, and lodging. This Policy serves as the District's "Accountable Plan" under the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations. Section 2: Activities Eligible for Reimbursement. Board Members may receive reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties in connection with the following activities: i. Communicating with representatives of regional, state, and national government on issues or matters affecting the District; ii. Attending conferences and/or educational seminars designed to improve the Board Members' expertise and information levels, including, but not limited to, ethics training required pursuant to Government Code Section 53234; iii. Participating in regional, state, and national organizations whose activities support the District's interests; iv. Attending District events at the invitation of the Board Chair, General Manager, or his/her designee; and v. Implementing a strategy approved by the District for District-related matters. vi. Meetings such as those listed above for which compensation is expressly authorized under this Policy. A Board Member and his or her Alternate Board Member cannot both be compensated for attendance at the same event without prior approval by the Board Chair. Section 3: Responsibilities. A. Directors shall be familiar with and comply with this Policy; ensure that all travel and other reimbursable expenses are reasonable; coordinate multiple Director participation at conferences to avoid unnecessary duplication; and promote economic means of travel. The Board Chair may approve or deny requests for travel or business activities and reimbursements for Board Members. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-4 B. The General Manager shall be familiar with and comply with this Policy; ensure all travel and other reimbursable expenses are reasonable; coordinate multiple Director participation at conferences; and promote economic means of travel. C. The Travel Liaison shall be familiar with and comply with this Policy; promote economic and reasonable means of travel; and inform the General Manager of all travel expenses that have not been reconciled. The Travel Liaison will also arrange all travel, lodging, accommodations, and seminar/conference registrations for Directors. The Travel Liaison shall use the District's designated travel agency for booking all air and ground travel. The General Manager is authorized to grant exceptions on a case- by-case basis. Any travel or registration not booked through the Travel Liaison, or not granted an exception, may be subject to payment by the Director without reimbursement from the District. D. The District Controller shall be familiar with and comply with this Policy; ensure all travel and other reimbursable expenses conform to this Policy. Section 4: Designated Travel Agency. The District will designate a single travel agency for the Travel Liaison to use to arrange all travel and lodging accommodations for Directors. Section 5: Seminars. Conferences. and Meetings. A. Directors may from time to time receive requests or may elect to attend meetings or conferences pertaining to the water and wastewater utility industry. Attendance at seminars, conferences, and meetings, such as the aforementioned, must be approved in advance by the Steering Committee, except when specifically pre- authorized by this Policy. In the event there is not sufficient time to receive approval from the Steering Committee, the Board Chair has the authority to approve such a request in advance. Any such approval shall be ratified by the Steering Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. B. Directors may be asked to, or may desire to, give presentations or otherwise represent the District at seminars, conferences, or meetings. Any Director wishing to attend such events and represent the District by providing a presentation or oral commentary shall request and receive advance authorization from the Steering Committee. If such a request is granted, all expense reimbursements and travel and meeting attendance requirements shall comply with this Policy. In the event there is not sufficient time to receive authorization to act as District representative from the Steering Committee, the Board Chair has the authority to approve such a request in advance. Any such approval shall be ratified by the Steering Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-5 C. The number of Directors attending a seminar, conference, or meeting should be minimized, and there must be a District business reason for attendance. Such reasons would include, but are not limited to: presentation of technical findings; attendance at committee meetings, or technical sessions dealing with issues related to District business; or participation as an officer of the association or trade group organizing the event. D. Seminars must be selected based on value to the District. Benefits would include improved efficiency and effectiveness, as well as becoming familiar with new regulatory standards. Preference will be given to seminars that are provided within the Southern California region. E. Attendance at seminars, conferences, or meetings in "destination resort" areas outside California or areas outside the continental United States may only be approved by the Steering Committee. Section 6: Ground Transportation. A. The most economical mode and class of transportation reasonably consistent with travel and scheduling requirements will be used. Each Director shall be reimbursed at the rate per mile established by the United States Internal Revenue Service as allowable for mileage expense deduction for use of a personal vehicle on business of the District. As said allowable rate established by the Internal Revenue Service is periodically changed, said changes in the reimbursement rate shall become effective on the first day of the month following the month in which the change is announced by the Internal Revenue Service. B. In no event shall the amount paid for mileage reimbursement for use of a personally-owned vehicle used for travel in lieu of air travel, exceed the lowest available cost of coach class airfare. C. Personally-owned vehicles used in the conduct of District business must be insured for property and liability damage in an amount not less than the minimum limits required by the California Financial Responsibility Act. D. Reasonable vehicle parking and storage costs will be allowed when rental or personally-owned vehicles are used for District business. E. Highway and bridge tolls are allowable expenses when incurred while conducting District business. F. Directors should only use rental cars for ground transportation when necessary or when it is less expensive than other forms of transportation such as trains, buses, taxis, or shuttles. Discretion must be used in selecting rental car size. The rental car should be the smallest size that provides adequate safety and comfort for the 1069790.l OCSD 15-06-6 period of time it is in use. To accommodate a group of travelers, a larger vehicle may be rented in lieu of renting separate vehicles. G. Directors will not be reimbursed for any surplus insurance purchased for rental cars. The District and Director are sufficiently insured through existing District policies. Only Directors are allowed to operate rental cars. H. Use of chauffeur-driven limousines is not allowed while conducting District business. I. When using ground transportation other than personally-owned vehicles, Directors shall use government and group rates offered by the provider of transportation services when available. Section 7: Air Travel . A. Air Travel must be at coach class level. First class travel will only be allowed on an exception basis and must be approved in advance by the Board Chair, based upon physical needs or ability to conduct meaningful work while on board. B. Air Travel should be arranged as early as possible to take advantage of reduced fares for early reservations. Consideration should be given to alternative departure times, departure and arrival airports, dates, flight times, and stopovers to minimize airfares; however, the total cost of the alternatives (e.g., ground transportation, lodging) should also be considered in selecting an alternative. Internet booking services can be consulted to help in finding the optimum alternative; however, flights must still be reserved by the Travel Liaison. C. Government and group rates for airline travel shall be used when available. Section 8: Lodging. A. Government and group rates offered by a provider of lodging services shall be used when available. B. When travel is to a conference or organized educational activity, lodging costs shall not exceed the maximum group published by the conference or activity sponsor. Some conferences require early booking to take advantage of reduced rates. If lodging cannot be arranged at the conference group rate, other lodging accommodations may also be arranged if the cost is less than or equal to the conference group rate. C. Overnight stays may be allowed for meetings or training functions lasting more than one day in OCSD's general geographical area (Orange, Los Angeles, 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-7 Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial and Kern Counties) when the travel time involved is significant. Section 9: Meals and Incidentals. Meal expenses are allowed while Directors are traveling. Expenditures for meals will be moderate and reasonable. Expenses for meals not associated with travel but related to an appropriate business purpose meeting, are also allowed. Non-travel business meals will only be reimbursed if taken in conjunction with a District business meeting. All meals that are subject to reimbursement will not exceed the rates indicated below. A. Reimbursement Rates. Directors will be reimbursed for actual meal expenses, including all taxes and gratuities, up to the amounts in Internal Revenue Service Publication 463, or any successor publication, or as specifically indicated below, whichever is less. If meal expenses exceed the allowance amount, the Director will only be reimbursed the allowance amount, with the remainder being paid by the Director. If meal expenses are less than the allowable amount, only the actual expense amount will be reimbursed. All meal expenses must be documented in detail in accordance with this Policy. When receipts are provided, the maximum per meal/expense reimbursements are as follows: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks $15.00 $20.00 $30.00 $10.00 Multiple meal expenses cannot be combined to pay for a more expensive single meal. The Policy is applied strictly as a per meal expense. In no event will a Director be reimbursed more than $75 per travel day. Receipts must provide a detailed account from the restaurant describing actual costs. Restaurant bill stubs do not provide sufficient detail and are not acceptable for reimbursement. Credit card receipts may be accepted, subject to Board Chair approval if itemized, if detailed meal receipts are not provided by the restaurant. B. Non-Reimbursable Meals and Incidentals. Directors will not be reimbursed for the following: i. Meals that are included in the cost of a conference or seminar, nor for meals taken elsewhere in lieu of the meal provided. ii. Meals provided by others. Conflict of interest policies and applicable statutes should be considered when providing meals for or receiving meals from persons or entities other than the District representatives. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-8 iii. Meals provided to a spouse or guest. iv. Alcoholic beverages. Section 10: Extended Travel and/or Travel with Family Members. A. When a Director elects to extend his/her stay at travel destinations, or when traveling with family members, all expenses related to such extended or family travel, including, but not limited to airfare, extra meals, extended car rental, lodging, or incidentals shall be paid by the Director without reimbursement. B. When travel time restrictions or transportation discounts make it desirable for a Director to arrive at a conference, seminar, or meeting a day early, or to stay an additional day, those travel days must be approved by the Board Chair in advance. Section 11: Requests for Reimbursement. A. Requests for reimbursement shall be submitted and coordinated through the Travel Liaison, no later than three weeks after the travel has concluded. The Travel Liaison shall ensure that all applicable forms and receipts are prepared and attached, and follow District procedure on expense reimbursement. A delinquent expense report will not be reimbursed unless justified in writing and approved by the Board Chair. All requests for reimbursement must be accompanied by receipts or documentation evidencing each expense. Improper expenditures, or those not adequately documented, will not be reimbursed. Non-essential expenses, including but not limited to, in-room movies, service bar, and similar extras will not be reimbursed. B. All expense reports shall include detailed receipts and state the date, type of expense, District business purpose, those in attendance and their affiliations, and amounts expended. If a receipt is misplaced or lost, a lost/unavailable receipts memorandum must be prepared detailing the information required for the expense report, including the date, payee, description of the expense, business purpose, those in attendance, and the amount. The memorandum must be signed by the General Manager and attached to the reimbursement request. Section 12: Brief Reports to Board. At the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors following the event for which reimbursable expenses are incurred, Directors shall briefly report, orally or in writing, on any meetings attended at District expense. If multiple Directors attended the meeting at District expense, a joint report may be made to the Board of Directors. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-9 Section 13: Misuse of Resources; Falsification of Reports. Any Board member that misuses public resources, or falsifies expense reports, may lose reimbursement privileges, be required to pay restitution, and/or be subject to civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution. ARTICLE Ill. COMPENSATION Section 1: Stipends and Compensation. A. Rate. Directors shall be paid compensation for each meeting attended and for each day's service rendered as a member of the Board, at the rate established by District Ordinance, in accordance with this Policy. Directors may receive compensation up to a maximum number of days each month, as prescribed by District Ordinance. B. Authorized Meetings. Directors shall receive compensation, without further action or authorization of the Steering Committee or Board of Directors, for attendance at the following: i. Board of Directors Meetings, Standing Committee Meetings, Special Committee Meetings, and Ad Hoc Committee Meetings, at which the Director is a duly appointed member; ii. Meetings, conferences, and committee meetings of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies, and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies; iii. Meetings of other governmental agencies to which the Director was appointed by the Board Chair; iv. Meetings or events approved by the Board Chair. Meetings or events not approved by the Board Chair or listed above are not considered business of the District. C. Travel Reimbursement. For the purposes of calculating mileage to attend the meetings described in Section 1 B of this Article, Directors shall be reimbursed for the lesser of: the mileage from their primary administrative local government office, or the actual distance travelled. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-10 Section 2: Waiver of Compensation. Directors may waive their compensation or so choose to be compensated at a lower rate than the rate established under District Ordinance. Such requests must be submitted in writing to the Clerk of the Board. Section 3: Additional Service Subject to Compensation. Each day's service rendered as a Member of the District's Board of Directors shall be deemed to include, but not be limited to: A. Attendance at any meeting of a Committee of which the Director is not a member, when expressly invited or requested to attend by the Board Chair. B. Attendance at conferences or meetings with State and/or Federal Legislators regarding District business, when approved by the Steering Committee. C. Attendance at a meeting, hearing, or conference relating to the business of the District, when approved by the Steering Committee or Board Chair, or when designated by the General Manager with the concurrence of the Board Vice-Chair in advance, and when deemed to be in the best interests of the District, including but not limited to the following: i. Meetings of nonprofit organizations or service club meetings where a Board Member is making a presentation on behalf of the District. ii. Ceremonial events when attending as an official representative of the Board of Directors of the District. iii. Meetings with other elected officials or their employees, which may or may not include District staff. iv. Meetings of the governing body of another agency, of which the District has an official delegate, where a matter directly affecting the interests of the District is agendized for discussion and the Board Member is not compensated by the other agency. v. Meetings with District Staff. vi. Industry related conferences other than California Association of Sanitation Agencies' or National Association of Clean Water Agencies' work conferences. vii. Telephone conferences when physical attendance is impractical and not mandatory. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-11 viii. Ethics training required by Government Code sections 53234 - 53235.5. Section 4: Non Compensable Attendance. Board Members shall not be compensated for the following meetings where there is no District-related business to be conducted: A. Nonprofit organization meetings. B. Nonprofit organization events. C. District-sponsored employee events, including, but not limited to, the annual holiday luncheon, employee picnic, or retirement events. D. Social or ceremonial events not pre-authorized by the Steering Committee. E. Service club meetings other than those included in Sections 1 and 3 above. F. Parades, festivals, holiday events, or retirement dinners. G. Meetings with existing or potential contractors, vendors, or consultants. H. Meetings of partisan political organizations. I. Meetings, tours, and similar events conducted at the request of the Board Member. Section 5: One meeting per day. No Director shall receive compensation for attendance at more than one meeting on any one calendar day. Section 6: Alternates. No Alternate Director shall receive compensation for attendance at any meeting or event unless serving in the absence of the regular Director, unless the Board Chair invites the Alternate Director to attend the meeting and approves payment of compensation. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-12 ARTICLE IV. EFFECTIVE DATE This Policy was duly adopted by action of the Board of Directors, on February 25, 2015 and shall be effective upon its adoption. 1069790.1 OCSD 15-06-13