COMMISSIONERS' COURT AGENDA REQUEST
PLEASE FURNISH ONE ORIGINAL AND NINE COPIES OF THIS REQUEST AND DOCUMENTS TO BE
REVIEWED BY THE COURT.
MADE BY: H.A. "Buster" Baldwin
MEETING DATE: October 14. 2003
SUBJECT: (PLEASE BE SPECIFIC)
TIlVIE PREFERRED:
Consider and discuss clarification of Commissioners Court intention for travel
allowance. i.e. mileage, lodging, meals, etc.
EXECUTIVE SESSION REQUESTED: (PLEASE STATE REASON)
NAME OF PERSON ADDRESSING THE COURT:
ESTIMATED LENGTH OF PRESENTATION:
IF PERSONNEL MATTER -NAME OF EMPLOYEE:
OFFICE: Commissioners' Court
Time for submitting this request for Court to assure that the matter is posted in accordance with Title S, Chapter
SS1 and SS2, Government Code, is as follows:
Meeting scheduled for Mondays:
THIS REQUEST RECEIVED BY:
THIS REQUEST RECEIVED ON:
5:00 P.M. previous Tuesday.

All Agenda Requests will be screened by the County Judge's Office to determine if adequate information has been
prepared for the Court's formal consideration and action at time of Court Meetings. Your cooperation will be
appreciated and contribute towards you request being addressed at the earliest opportunity. See Agenda Request Rules
Adopted by Commissioners' Court.
Comm. Pct. # 1
KERR COUNTY
TRAVEL VOUCHER
Name of Conference or Scholl
Date
Name of OfficiaVEmplayee
Department
TRAVEL
Date of Travel		O ' in:	Destination:
Date of Travel		Origin:	Destination:
Milage @ Comptrdler of Public Accourrts Guide (www.wirxiaw.state.txus)	Totaa
miles (~ 35 cents per mile =	$
Air Travel (reimbursed on receipt ontyj	$
Parking	
MEALS dates							Trial
Breakfast ($7 max)	$	$	$	$	$	$	$
Lunch ($t3 max)	$	$	$	$	$	$	$
Dinner ($15 max j	$	$	$	$	~	$	$
Total Reimbursement $
Charge to Budget Line Item No.
I certify that:
1 The expenses listed were incurred personalty by me for the purpose stated.
2 I have not been reimbursed from any other source for any of the expenses listed.
3 This request is correct to the best of my knowledge.
Signature
Date
130
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1C
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
-- okay, yes.
JUDGE TINLEY: And get it back to me so that
MR. SCHELLHASE: Our deadline is April 31st
(sic), so it will be back tomorrow.
JUDGE TINLEY: Okay. What's the pleasure of
the Court? Everybody wants to go to lunch? Is that it?
COMMI:~SIONER LETZ: I do.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I do.
JUDGE TINLEY: We'll stand in recess until
1:30.
(Recess taken from 12:10 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
JUDGE TINLEY: Okay. I will call back to
order the Commissioners Court meeting for Monday,
April 28th. When we were here last before lunch, we had, I
think, left remaining, beginning at Item Number 18, consider
and discuss adoption of State Travel Allowance Guide,
published by the Comptroller of Public Accounts for per diem
allowances or reimbursement of expenses for Kerr County
elected officials and employees going out of county on
official business. I put this on the agenda as a means of
hopefully coming up with something that's, number one,
uniform; number two, recognized. Number three, for planning
and budgeting purposes, I think it makes things easier, more
predictable. And also, we had a -- we've had a problem in
~-~~-~=
131
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
past years where employees going on County business have
been put in a positi~~n of -- because of not having credit
cards, which may or may not be a good idea -- that's a whole
'nother issue, but they were put in a position, because
of -- of how they were reimbursed, that they were, in
essence, financing their own situation, and then relying
upon reimbursement when they got back from whatever their
official business was. And I'm not sure that was fair to
those employees. If there was a procedure whereby they
could -- if there were a definite per diem amount that they
could draw in advance, it might; make things a little bit
easier on them, and I just thought -- thought it would be a
good, uniform way to handle it, rather than having each
department just kind of helter-skelter, scattered hither,
thither, and yon.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: Judge, do you or
anybody have an idea about whether or not we would spend
more for travel expenses under the per diem plan or less
than we -- than the way we do it?
JUDGE TINLEY: So far as having done a
statistical survey, ~:o, I haven't. My sense is -- is that
we would probably end up spending less. The Auditor might
be able to give us, just off the top of his shoulder, an
idea.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: Well, if you cap --
4-~~-U3
132
1
2
3
4
5
5
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
there's an incentive to be frugal if you cap it at a per
JUDGE TINLEY: Absolutely.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: Unless you want to
spend your own money.
JUDGE TINLEY: And we're all -- you know,
we'll always have the option to do that.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I would be -- I would --
I bet anything it isn't going to be very different. I mean,
'cause I look at those per diems, and what I think the --
you know, hotel rates are pretty much set. Usually, going
to a convention or school, there's a discounted rate; it's
going to bo within that amount. And the per diem they have
for meals, I just don't think most of cur employees are
eating more than than.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: I do, too.
JUDGE TINLEY: $30 a day.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Yeah, $30 a day. I don't
think that we're spending $30 a day on average for
employees. I don't think I -- I have -- you know, I may eat
a -- you know, a meal, like, in -- a good example is in
Dallas, I ate one meal treat was higher than the limit here,
but I didn't put more than -- I just, on my own, reduced how
much I billed for the County, 'cause I don't think it's
right to bill, you k~zow, for me to go to a nicer restaurant.
9-~'~-03
133
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
2C
21
22
23
24
25
That's my choice. I just don't think they're doing it. I
bet our County employees, on average, aren't spending more
than $15 a day on fcod.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: I like the idea.
COMMTSSIONER LETZ: So, I mean, I don't mind
doing it, but I don't think it's going to save us any money.
I think it's a good rule, but it's not --
JUDGE TINLEY: Do you have a sense of that,
Tommy?
MR. TOMLINSON: No, I really don't.
There's -- on the average, I mean, there's -- there's a lot
of people that -- you know, there's a lot of day trips; you
know, you only have one. And then there's cases where --
where you go to a place and maybe one meal is furnished,
or -- so it's -- it's kind of hard to -- I would say that --
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: I'm not certain how
this -- how this plan works to mitigate against the point
you made about the employees having to fund their County
business in advance, except that they could draw down a per
diem. That doesn't take -- and travel and hotel; both of
those are larger than the per diem.
JUDGE TINLEY: Granted, they wouldn't get
reimbursed for the travel. Now, their -- their travel would
be based en state mileage tables, so, you know, there's
uniform -- uniformity to that. The -- the aspect of the
-~8-03
134
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1;
18
19
20
21
2 G
23
24
25
hotel, we still have that problem about securing
reservations because of no credit cards. Virtually all
these hotels either want prepayment or they want it to be
secured by credit card. Now, in a lot of cases where --
where there is a con.Eerence or something that's scheduled
several months in advance, there will be checks sent in for
the lodging and the registration in advance. But, you're
right, it doesn't solve the entire problem. We still have
the problem in those cases where -- for example, the lodging
issue. But it -- it puts somebody -- it puts everybody
on -- on the same footing. There's no -- no favoritism
shown to the guy on the top or the guy on the bottom or
anybody in between. We're all in this thing together. And
I think -- I think, probably, the people at the State have
looked at these things enough over the years that they're
convinced it's the right way to do business. And for
planning purposes, I think it will help us, too.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: Wonder how the
employees would feel about it. Have you got any feel for
it, Paula?
MS. RECTOR: How we feel about
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: If we switch to this
per diem route, as opposed to actual expense reimbursement.
Would employees welc~:me that change, or --
MS. RECTOR: I don't think, in my case, it
-,a-n3
135
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
2 2
2~
24
25
would be a problem, because, like you say, we don't eat $30
a day. But -- I've been here a iot of years, and I'm the
one with the credit card that has to give my personal credit
card to my employee to take, so that's -- we -- I have one
credit card I designate for just that. But I'm still
ultimately responsible for it, so they're good enough to
bring me all the receipts, turn it in, get the reimbursement
to pay my credit card back.
COMMI:~SIONER LETZ: Under this plan, I mean,
so you get the money even if you don't use it?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Per diem.
JUDGE TINLEY: You just draw that per diem.
MS. RECTOR: As far as meals, I think if
they're going to get a per diem in advance, then they need
to submit some receipts afterwards and then give that money
back, 'cause that's coming out of our conference line items.
And it's not for them to put in their pocket if they don't
eat $30.
State does it.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's not the way the
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Per diem is per day.
MS. RECTOR: Yeah, they keep it.
JUDGE TINLEY: We give you per diem, and
if -- you know, if you want to eat cheese and crackers,
-a-o~
136
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
that's up to you. If you --
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Sardines.
JUDGE TINLEY: Pardon?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Sardines and crackers.
MS. RECTOR: Sardines and crackers.
JUDGE TINLEY: Sardines and sweet onion and
crackers. Like the oil patch, huh?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I'm getting excited.
I love it when you talk that way.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: When I was in the
cil patch, we had a policy like this where some -- nct a11,
but some assignments, like short-term, temporary
assignments, were per diem, and the reason we did it was
it's simple and it saved money, so it encouraged us to stay
-- spend less on per diem.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I like the simplicity of
it. I like that Tommy's office doesn't have to go through
all these little receipts, and they just need to put --
employees, too. I mean, if you -- if an employee forgets
to, you know, pick up a receipt or forgets to get the
receipt or something, all of sudden they lose money. This
way, they don't have to worry about it. They get -- I mean,
I think it's simpler for both the County and the employee.
I just don't think it's going to be a whole lot of net -- I
don't think it will be much change, dollar-wise.
4 - ~ ~ - ~
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
137
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I think the key to the
thing is the actual -- the ability to plan a little bit
better and budget for it. I can see how that works. I
don't like the thought of you telling me that I can't rent a
car. You know, if I -- if we fly into Dallas and -- I mean,
how are you going to get around, get somewhere?
JUDGE TINLEY: You would be reimbursed for
your travel costs while you're there.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Well, it sayeth
here -- "sayeth" is Old Testament talk.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Reimbursement for
rental cars is not authorized.
JUDGE TINLEY: I understand. It says that on
the reimbursement furor?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: The travel voucher.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah. Yeah. I'm -- I'm not
sure that the rule is that -- the rules that the State has
are not that hard and fast. I think what it's not saying
there is that if you catch the -- a taxi or an airport limo,
you're entitled to get reimbursed for that.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I would hope so, yeah.
JUDGE TINLEY: And in some -- in some cases,
I suspect, under the rules, on close examination, there's
probably some cases where you can get a rental car, if your
~-~~-o~
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
2C
21
22
23
24
25
138
activities there and -- and the amount of movement you're
going to have to make are such that the cost to get a rental
car would be considerably less than it would be for doing
all this taxiing and other public transportation around.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I never have rented a
car on one of our trips, but you definitely have to -- you
have to travel or:e way or another, taxicab or --
JUDGE TINLEY: I don't -- yeah.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: -- otherwise.
JUDGE TINLEY: You've got to at least get
from -- if you're flying in, from the airport to your
destination at the hotel or conference center or something
like that, yeah.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: One place this talks
about $70 a day for a hotel, and another place it talks
about $80.
JUDGE TINLEY: Current rate is $80. Most of
your -- most of your conferences where there's any
involvement with government employees, believe me, they stay
up with these rates, and when they negotiate the -- the
block contract rate, they generally peg it at that.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: $79.95.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: And what about the
tax aspect on top of the room rate? How is that handled?
JUDGE TINLEY: I think the tax is -- you're
9-28-03
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1?
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
139
entitled to receive the tax in addition to --
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: That would be an
incidental expense, just like parking would be an
incidental?
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah. I think they're talking
about $80 is -- is the base rate, the room rate.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: So, what do we need to
do? Do we want to adopt it for next budget year?
JUDGE TINLEY: I would -- I would like to, I
would think beginning October 1, put it in place for the
next budget year.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: But adopt it now, so that
during the budget process, this -- this format is used.
MS. SCVIL: Make it effective October 1 --
adopt it effective October 1.
MS. RECTOR: But if we choose to go ahead and
pay for it on our credit card and be reimbursed, we can
still do that? We don't have to do the advance per diem?
JUDGE TINLEY: No, you don't have to do the
advance, but you'll be limited as to the -- the --
COMMISSTONER BALDWIN: Amount.
JUDGE TINLEY: -- the same amount.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: It will be a per diem
reimbursement either way.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: Ceiling amount could
~-~e-~,s
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
140
be interpreted two ways. You'll get the per diem no matter
what you spend. Spend more, you need it; spend less, you
keep it.
JUDGE TINLEY: That's right. You don't
submit any receipts for that. You don't have to keep up
with that.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: So it would limit --
under that system, it would limit the use of your credit
card. In other words, meals would no longer --
MS. RECTOR: Sometimes we may have something
come up, like Plano had a school for some stuff in taxes.
It was, like, two weeks notice, so we got two of my people
in, sent them up there. There was no time, because -- to
get -- no time to get it in advance on that prior to them
going.
MS. SOVIL: That brings up the discussion you
and I had, Judge, about the Treasurer maybe keeping a $1,000
fund so that it could be drawn upon in cases just like that.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah, I was going to get to
that. What -- what I would see implementing in connection
with this, to handle this per diem thing, would be a -- some
segregated amount or account, probably, whereby if you were
going to go send your two girls, for example, on that and
you wanted to go ahead and draw down their per diem, you
would be in a position to do that out of this account. Then
~-z~-o_3
141
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
they could charge back to your travel line item or whatever
and replenish that account, so we can keep that account
where it's available for use to do these per diem advances,
for example.
MS. R.I~CTOR: I would like for some of the
other elected officials to be riere to discuss this, too.
Not just me.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: We're going to say you
wanted it like this.
MS. RECTOR: No. No. You know, I think it's
fine just the way it is. I don't mind using my credit card.
I mean, it's -- I don't have a problem with it. And I know
it's come up ir. the past about that, because some of them
don't have -- some other elected officials don't use credit
cards, so when their people go, they have to get the actual
cash, give it to their employees for their meals and their
gas and that type thing. But --
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Yeah, this doesn't solve
any of that problem. A11 this does --
JUDGE TINLEY: Doesn't solve all of it. It
will solve some of it.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Yeah.
COMM L'~SIONER WILLIAMS: It doesn't solve the
problem, either, that Commissioner Baldwin made reference to
a couple weeks ago, where, for example, we went to Fort
9-_~H-o3
142
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Wcrth to obtain what we thought would be the bulk of our
hours we're obligated to do. We ended up, the most we could
get was 12. Right, Buster?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Yes.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: That particular trip
was 12, still leaving us short, which means that we've got
to find another seminar someplace, go to that and do that
all over again. So, it doesn't deal with that at all.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I think --
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Just deals with what
you're going to get if you do it.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: So we still have to
deal with, in budget time, how many conferences we're going
to go to.
JUDGE TINLEY: Oh, yeah.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: So forth and so on.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I think that -- yeah, and
that point is, that';: just really a budget item that we're
going to -- I think we made some mistakes last year in the
budget when we made some, basically, arbitrary cuts on
the -- on the conference line item. We just can't do that.
I mean, you've got to -- everyone's going to have to budget
what they -- looking at state law, what you're required to
get, and the County's got to fund that. You know, that's
4-; 8-C~3
143
1
2
3
4
5
n
7
8
9
1C
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
just nc~ -- that's just going to have to be the way it is.
I think, from a budget standpoint, this process makes it
easier, 'cause you figure, okay, you're going to be -- each
Commissioner's going to be gone for three days, four days to
get that many hours, and it's going to take this much money
for each day, plus the registration fees. And I think
that's relatively easy to do that for most of the schools.
I mean --
MS. RECTOR: Well, if you have a place that
you're going -- you say that the State rate is $80 per
night, plus your tax and their local tax that they charge.
What if it happens to be more? You only get the $80. The
rest comes outs of your pocket?
JUDGE TINLEY: That's right. That's exactly
right.
MS. RECTOR: I don't think that's fair.
Because if they block them in their -- they may be $90 a
night, and you're staying four nights, so the extra $10 a
night's going to come out of your pocket? I don't agree
with that.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: I think you're making
a good point.
MS. R1=,C TOR: I don't agree with that.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: In Austin, Texas
right now is a good example. There's not a way in the
~-~8-03
144
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
world -- that's okay for the State to do this, but if you
were going to go up there right now for any purpose of State
business or County business, I challenge to you find an
$80-a-night room. You won't find it.
MS. RECTOR: Unless it's blocked prior to a
convention or conference coming in, like they block it for
us. But sometimes when we go to things that -- where
they're not blocked, we have to pay the normal rate, and it
may be $110 a night. And you're only going to be gone one
or two nights, but if you're only saying I'm only allowed
$80, and I've got to go off-site and find a Motel 6 to stay
in so I don't pay the fees the hotels are charging, I don't
think that's fair.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: I think Paula makes a
good point.
JUDGE TINLEY: I'm sorry?
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: I said I think Paula
makes a good point. If we were to adopt this, there's no
reason why we can't adopt a basic plan and have some
exceptions of our own as part of the plan. That happens to
be one of them.
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, my thinking is that if
there's anybody that's going to be going to Austin, Texas,
that's State employees, and --
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: They're already
4-~ %~-03
145
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
i3
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
there, Judge.
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, there's a lot of them
that come from out t}~ere, and I can assure you, they've got
to live with this plan, and --
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: I'd ]ike to hear
more input from other employees, elected officials,
department heads.
MS. RECTOR: I agree.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: I kind of like the
idea. I do like it. But if it's going to cost people money
or it's going to upset people, then maybe it's not worth
doing.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: We could always adopt
the --
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Have more input.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: We could adopt the per
diem. The per diem part is the part that I really like,
because it is simpler for both the employees and for the
County.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I mean, Tommy's nodding
his head, 'cause I know -- I mean, I think Mindy, the other
day I was down there, was saying it would simplify their
life if they didn't have to worry about all these little
meal tickets, trying to figure out what's what on them and,
4-~8-U3
146
i
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
you know --
MS. RECTOR: Well, I agree with that. I
think that would simplify it. But it can't be as
cut-and-dried as, You're getting "X" amount of dollars for
all these things, and that's it. Anything above that -- you
know, meals, if you go over what you're allowed, then that's
out of your pocket; I agree with that, yes. But I think
hotel accommodations might be something that needs to be a
little more flexible, 'cause your mileage is all that's set.
You know, how many miles it is to and from and what the
state mileage pays. That's another set thing, just like
your meals, but --
COMMISSIONER LETZ: The only difference here
is they're talking about using the Comptroller's -- I guess,
the mileage book. You no longer have to keep track of your
mileage. If you go to Austin, you're getting -- from
Kerrville, you get paid whatever that book says that
distance is.
MS. RECTOR: Mm-hmm.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Which is -- we used to do
that.
MS. RECTOR: There's a mileage guide -- we
get on the Internet and use the mileage guide.
MR. TOMLINSON: You can -- I mean, on the
hotel thing, if you -- I mean, if you search and find a
4-~8-03
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
147
place that falls within that -- those dollars, your -- you
might eat up the difference in mileage. I mean, I know
I've -- I've had -- I found a place out close to -- to Ben
White Boulevard. My conference was at the University of
`T'exas. Well, the time -- you know, I made six trips from my
motel to the campus. My mileage almost -- well, probably
the difference between what I paid for the hotel and what I
would have paid if I'd stayed at the conference -- at the
conference --
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Good point.
MS. RECTOR: I much prefer staying at the
host hotel and not having to get out and drive, for some of
us who don't like to drive in the city. Like, we're gong
to Houston for our annual conference. I don't drive in
Houston, sorry. I'm staying in that hotel and I'm not
leaving it. But if I had to stay somewhere cheaper and
drive in, you can guarantee that I'm not going to go, 'cause
I just -- I don't do it.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: You're right.
COMMI;~SIONER BALDWIN: Do we necessarily have
to adopt these documents?
JUDGE TINLEY: No.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Like -- as an example,
like, cn the lodging, it says up to $80 a day. Could we
change that $80 to $100, and -- or $81.50 or whatever the
~-2~-03
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
148
number might be?
JUDGE TINLEY: Sure. You can do anything you
want. I -- I'm hoping to get some sort of a planning tool
and something that will help -- help the administrative
aspect of it, because that can be a problem. And also
something that can bE~ utilized with some degree of
effectiveness in prefunding some of these employees so that
they're not financing what's our obligation out of their
pocket.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
JUDGE TINLEY: And if that means merely
adopting a per diem for meals, or if that means adopting per
diem for meals and whatever the actual -- per receipt on
hotels, or if that means adopting a per diem for meals
and an allowance for lodging of whatever amount you decide,
you know, it's wide-open. You can kind of roll your own any
way you want to. But I was looking to try and get -- I
think the meals part is probably the most difficult part of
it, because, administratively, it's a big hassle for the
Auditor's office. Employees tend to get penalized because
some of them fail to ask for receipts, or they`re lost,
and -- and when it's on that kind of a reimbursement basis,
they're reluctant to go get a draw for their per diem. It's
mainly the per diem aspect that I have the most concern
about.
~-z~-n,
2
3
4
5
E
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
2C
21
22
23
24
25
149
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Per diem and mileage,
I don't have a problem with. I think we have to deal with
the hotels, and I think I agree with Commissioner Nicholson;
we need to hear from other department heads and elected
officials.
JUDGE TINLEY: If that's the sense of the
Court, that's -- you know, let's just kind of hang it on the
hook and -- and pass the word, and we'll get it on the
agenda again.
MR. TOMLINSON: With this receipt business,
some -- sometimes my people are -- are forced into making
calls about whether or not they -- they pay the bill or not,
and esper_ially if there's -- you know, there's a spouse
involved or -- and the person doesn't take the -- take the
spouse out of the ticket. And, I mean, it's just -- it
would be very helpful not to have to worry about those
things.
JUDGE TINLEY: That's on the meals aspect,
you're talking about.?
MR. TOMLINSON: Yes.
JUDGE TINLEY: You don't have that much of a
problem with the -- with the hotel?
MR. TOMLINSON: No.
JUDGE TINLEY: 'Cause generally the
single/double rate's the same anyway, normally.
~-_e-o j
150
i
2
3
4
5
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
MR. TOMLINSON: Yes.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Hotels -- and even under
these guidelines, you need a receipt for the hotel, so it
would be pretty easy to adopt the mileage and per diem, and
leave the rest of it kind of the way it is.
JUDGE TINLEY: Okay.
MS. SOVIL: Could you just word that, "as
receipted" on the hotel?
COMMISSIONER LETZ: It is right now. You
just put out the maximum -- you delete the maximum rate and
just say --
it's written.
MS. SOVIL: Right, as receipted.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: A receipt's required, as
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: What about setting up
that separate fund, that $1,000 fund to draw from?
JUDGE TINLEY: I'm not sure that's the right
amount, but I --
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I'm not either, but I
think that's what was thrown out.
JUDGE TINLEY: We've got several
opportunities to work on that if we're trying to plan for
the ensuing fiscal year.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIE'; We -- we always --
Paula threw out something there that I think is kind of
4-~~-0?
151
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
rare, though, that -- that they would notify you from Plano
and say there's a meetinq coming up, and --
MS. RECTOR: No, they don't notify me --
well, we get a little brochure in the mail. I start
looking; I go, "Hmm, something's coming up next week in
Plano." And it's not going to cost us for the particular
day course, but it's going to cost triem to get up there,
stay, and come back. No registration involved. I mean, it
could be a week or two before it actually takes place.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: We know months ahead
of time, and we try to -- we try to get our hotel and
registration, everything paid prior to. You try -- you
know, we always try to get everythinq as much paid for ahead
of time as possible so we don't have to do all that stuff
when we get there, but -- and I think the majority of the
time, you can do that.
JUDGE TINLEY: Probably most of the time.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: Probably the
Sheriff's Department has things come up frequently where
they can't plan it.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: They do. That's
right.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah. Yeah, they're probably
the one mat's most hit by the spur of the moment.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: What Paula's talking
4-?~-~3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
152
about has to do with the subject matter more than anything
else. We might get that brochure and it's a subject that
you'd really like your people to know about.
MS. RECTOR: Mm-hmm.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Not the fact that the
meeting was there; you knew the meeting was going to be
there.
MS. RECTOR: Right. Right.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: All right. Next meeting
you're going to bring this back?
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, or the one after that,
or whenever; we'll just put it back on. We'll start
circulating the word, I guess, that the Tax Assessor/
Collector was --
COMMISSIONER LETZ: In favor of this.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah, or against it.
MS. RECTOR: No. I like the per diem for the
meals, I think, because I have to be sure I keep all those
little receipts and be sure I get them all turned in and
added up correctly to go to the Auditor's office. I think
that would save them a lot of time and save us a lot of time
too if we went to a per diem on that.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Okay. Bill and I will
go around and say that she was against it, and you two guys
go around and tell everybody she was for it.
4-~8-03
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
153
MS. RECTOR: Conspiracy.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Motel 6 was fine, and
a $40 rate, tops.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's exactly right.
And we'll hitr_hhike over to the capitol.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I think 30 minutes is
lcng enough on that one.
JUDGE TINLEY: All right.
(Discussion off the record.)
JUDGE TINLEY: Next item, discuss and
consider approval of Earth Day Proclamation on April 26,
2003, ratifying County Judge's signature on same. I`ve gone
out nn a hook, gentlemen. Gone out on a hook.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: Looks like you
already signed it.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: So moved.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: If it winds up
two-to-two, are you going to break the tie?
JUDGE TINLEY: You betcha.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS: You knave how, toc.
Let's see, now. What organization --
COMMISSIONER NICHOLSON: I'll second.
JUDGE TINLEY: Motion's made and seconded by
Commissioners --
-~a-o3