Response to Letter Concerning Travel Expenses in Wakulla County 

Dear Concerned Citizens of Wakulla County:

{sidebar id=1}I am in receipt of your letter dated August 8, 2007 regarding travel.  Please know that we share many concerns in common with our citizens about the expenditures of tax dollars and the services government provides in return for those expenditures. I offer the following response from the Clerk’s perspective to your inquiry.

The specific question posed to my office had to do with travel advances of $243 and $660 to Commissioner Brimner.  But I assume the real question is much broader than that, and would include all travel advances/reimbursements, such as the one issued to another commissioner the day after these two were issued to Commissioner Brimner.

Our authority for paying travel costs comes from F. S. 112.061, by local purchasing ordinance 90-3, as well as policies adopted by the Board of County Commissioners via votes taken at meetings, and internal policies of County finance.

Florida Statutes 112.061 authorizes an agency head or his/her designee may make travel advances to cover the anticipated costs of travel to employees. I believe there are valid public purposes for advance payment for some travel costs.  For our purposes, all travel payments are advances until approval from the Board with all other checks.

We have no reference to advances in the local purchasing policy or in Board minutes that I am aware of.  We do have a policy, adopted in October 2001, in which we clearly state that travel advances are treated as employee advances until such time as the travel is completed and documented.  This was adopted by us in similar fashion to other counties handling of this type situation.  And we still require supervisory approval of even the advance before preparing an advance check.

My interpretation is that we are acting appropriately and within our authority and consistent with the law to give this advance, if approved by the department head/county administrator.  If the board does not ultimately approve the travel, or if the traveler does not timely document the travel, the amount paid out for travel is executed as a payroll deduction and the county has no risk in this transaction.

Thus in my opinion, it is the risk of the employee to travel without expressed Board authority, whether to pick up supplies in Tallahassee or attend a workshop in Sarasota.

Advances are not treated like an accounts payable payment to a vendor that we do not release until the Board approves it.  Even with accounts payable checks, there are exceptions, such as utility payments, which are released without board approval.  As far as I have ascertained, there are exceptions such as these in all local governments, depending upon the judgment of the Clerk and County concerns.

The BOCC vote taken in October 2003 does require travel to be approved by the BOCC, but the minutes do not address advances for a commissioner’s travel. I know the Board Administration has plans to address the subject of travel in greater detail and specificity, and we look forward to assisting them in compiling a comprehensive travel policy that reduces these type concerns.  Until this policy is developed and adopted, we will do our best to comply with the laws, ordinances, and policies that govern such travel advances and reimbursements.

Thank you for sharing your concerns.  It may seem slow, but things are improving in many ways in our County.  I hope this information helps, and if we can be of assistance to you in this or any other matter, please let us know.

Sincerely,

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