Council authorizes travel and training registrations, tightens travel booking procedures

Director Susan Scarlata and Deputy Town Manager David Garcia presented an item consolidating council subscriptions, likely travel and training, and a list of conferences the council may authorize. Staff described the travel-reimbursement process, including a requirement that attendees pay meals up front and receive per-diem reimbursements after travel, use town credit cards for tickets and lodging, and reconcile using the clerk's office.

Council voted unanimously on a bundled motion authorizing selected councilors and the mayor to attend specified conferences (National League of Cities, Mountain Towns/CAST, WAM regional meetings and WAM events), and staff said clerks would follow up on bookings and that the town manager would report quarterly on the travel-budget line. Councilors asked about prepayment and credit-card availability; staff said they would address credit-card needs and audit transparency.

"Training and travel must be booked through the town... You will travel with a town credit card... otherwise you're paying for meals with your own funds and then getting reimbursed with the per diem amount," Director Susan Scarlata said as she described procedures.