Travel Policy to Differentiate Between City Council and City Employees
INDIO —This city’s 2-year-old travel policy is in the process of being updated, according to Sabdi Sanchez, Director of City Clerk Services. The current policy was adopted in July 2023.
The travel policy is being revised to clearly distinguish between City Council travel and city employee travel, Sanchez said.
The current travel policy establishes blanket standards for all city employees.
The expense reports are approved by the Department Head and City Manager.
Whether there will be other changes remains to be seen.
Currently, City Council travel does not require specific Council approval, as it is included in the annual budget. The city manager and department heads are currently charged with the responsibility travel and reimbursement.
The city’s travel policy came under scrutiny lately when a resident called into question a City Councilmember’s travel and lodging expenses were called into question. After a careful review of the councilmember’s travel expenses obtained through public records, the Councilor did absolutely nothing wrong, thus the person in question will neither be named nor publicly humiliated.
Additionally, the policy for legislative bodies was last approved in 2015, making updates necessary, she said.
