County auditor’s travel-policy redline prompts debate; board sends revision back to finance committee

A redline travel policy presented by the county auditor prompted extended discussion on Jan. 6 about who should approve exceptions and how board member travel is preapproved and reimbursed.

Auditor (Wiegman) said the redline aligns county practice to IRS guidance on taxable reimbursements and enables her office to process expense vouchers for payment while preserving board oversight. Several board members objected to language that reads ‘‘travel expense policy is administered by the auditor’’ and a clause saying "exceptions must be approved by the auditor," arguing exceptions and oversight belong to the elected body.

"Whoever ends up in the auditor's office should not have to do the job of the county board," said county board member Michelle Gumbs, urging that exceptions be decided by the county board. Other members suggested compromise language (e.g., auditor processes vouchers and submits exceptions to the county board) or limiting the auditor’s role to oversight for staff rather than elected officials.

Board members also asked for clearer procedures for preapproval of board travel, timelines for committee review and protections against publishing sensitive security details of travel plans. The chair and county attorney noted that for timing reasons the board can adopt a one-off resolution to permit imminent trips, but agreed the travel form and procedures should be clarified.

On a procedural motion, the board voted to send the travel-policy changes back to the finance committee for additional drafting and clarification; one member recorded an abstention on the motion to return the item.

Next steps: finance committee will redraft the travel-policy language with separate, clearer sentences for (1) auditor oversight versus administration, and (2) the exceptions approval process; staff and auditor will propose a written procedure for preapproval and required form fields.