Panel clarifies rules on business trip expenses

A city employee or official on a business trip who incurs expenses for personal activities must pay for those expenses, the city Ethics Commission said in an advisory opinion issued last week.

Chuck Totto, commission executive director, said Friday that the opinion was issued after a city employee sought clarification on the policy via an informal opinion. Totto declined to provide details about the employee or the circumstance, citing confidentiality provisions allowed by commission rules.

Only travel expenses that result from "official city business" are paid from city funds, the opinion said.

The opinion does not bar a city employee or official from personal activities during a city business trip.

"On occasion, an officer or employee will travel for legitimate city government purposes, and combine this travel with family, business, political campaign or other nongovernmental activities," the opinion said.

However, any additional costs incurred due to "air travel, food, lodging or other expenses resulting from personal activities" cannot be paid for with city funds, the opinion said.

In the past, state and city officials have drawn public criticism for going to the mainland on government business and, while there, attending fundraisers on their behalf.

The threshold for whether any business trip mixed with personal purpose should be paid for by the city at all is "whether or not the travel is reasonable and necessary to accomplish a legitimate government purpose," the opinion said.

The opinion advises the City Council and the administration of Mayor Kirk Caldwell to amend their administrative policies "to ensure that documentation is required for travel so that expenses generated from official city business may be distinguished from expenses for personal activities."