City’s new travel policy aligns with best practices used in other cities

The city’s travel reimbursement process for employees appears to be working well since the policy was updated early this year, according to an audit of the new policy presented Tuesday to City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee.

While the audit is an inside-baseball look at how employees are reimbursed for authorized work-related travel expenses, the report notes the importance of having a travel policy in place to ensure employees are reimbursed for travel in a timely manner while balancing the city’s duty to safeguard public funds.

The new travel policy brought the city more in line with best practices from travel policies in nine other cities, while the old policy from 2001 included only two-thirds of the identified best practices. Some of the best practices include clearly defined reimbursable expenses and guidelines for filing documentation in a timely manner.

The audit notes that key improvements of the 2024 policy include a requirement for supporting documentation to justify travel expenses, incorporating modern-day considerations for things like gratuities and ride-share services.

The report recommended that the city controller establish a regular review process and update the policy every three years, if needed. Additionally, the report recommended the controller implement a process to identify departments with compliance issues and provide training and other resources to address areas for improvement.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.