Agenda Item Request:
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Amend the following sections of the Administrative Regulations & Policies: #3 "FOAA Schedule of Fees," and #4 "Meal & Travel Allowance," and adopt proposed Policy #22 "Unassigned Fund Balance Policy" (new admin reg).
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Background and Purpose of Request:
Policy #3 "FOAA Schedule of Fees" was reviewed after consulting with the Public Information Officer in the Executive Department. The amendments are necessary to update references in the Policy to statutory thresholds regarding FOAA fees (see P.L 2023, c. 155, ? 3). Furthermore, staff believe that it would be helpful to amend this policy to clarify that FOAA fees and record request requirements are governed by State law, not exclusively the Policy. The proposed amendments clarify the internal procedures for handling record requests, including stressing that record requests must be forwarded by employees to the appropriate Public Information Officer immediately to ensure the County complies with the response timeframes in the FOAA. Staff recommend re-naming the policy from a "schedule of fees" to a policy governing "record request procedures" to reflect the purpose of these amendments. This document is presented as a repeal and replace.
Policy #4 "Meal & Travel Allowance" was reviewed by staff after confusion with the implementation of a per-diem reimbursement for meal expenses when County employees travel on County business. The proposed amendments to this Policy are also intended to clarify what documentation is required for employees to be reimbursed for meal and travel expenses. The proposed amendments eliminate the distinction between reimbursements for in-state and out-of-state travel and instead categorize travel as either "same-day" or "multi-day" travel. Same-day travel and meal expenses generally do not need to be approved prior to travel, but must be itemized on an Expense Reimbursement Form approved by the employee's Director, Deputy Director, or Captain level supervisor o...
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