A set of proposed changes in the county’s travel policy concerning reimbursement to county elected officials who incur business travel expenses is not sitting well with County Commissioner Andy Meyers.

Commissioners Court would have voted on the changes two weeks ago but instead decided to put off the matter until tomorrow after Meyers raised concern that the changes may cause them not to be fully reimbursed and that they may have to reach into their own pockets.

County auditor Ed Sturdivant has proposed six restrictions on the elected officials’ business travel expense reimbursement, which are absent from the existing travel policy. The restrictions include:

1. Daily payments for meals for in-state and out-of-state travels are capped at $36 and $48, respectively, with no receipts required. Meals for trips without overnight stay are not reimbursable.

2. Travelers must use hotels contracted by a state travel management program, which enjoys a 20-25 percent rate discount, or use hotels in which the organizer of the event the official attends has blocked rooms at a discount.

3. Air tickets must be booked at least 14 days in advance at the lowest available rate for the coach or economy seat.

4. Cars are to be rented using state contract rates.

5. County-provided credit cards may not be used for meals.

6. No tips or gratuities are reimbursable.

The new limits also had included an $85 cap on the per-night hotel rate, which is a negotiated discounted rate offered by hotels contracted with the state travel management program.

However, that requirement also would give the traveler the option of using a hotel picked by the sponsor of the conference or other events that the official attends.

That cap particularly concerned Meyers.

“If I don’t have enough time to plan ahead and there are times in Austin where rooms are scarce, you’ll take what you get,” Meyers said. “What if they charge more than $85 and you’ll have to pay the difference. Why should I pay out of my own pocket to represent Fort Bend County residents? I’m not interested in doing that.”

Sturdivant eliminated the cap in the proposal to be reconsidered by the commissioners court tomorrow.

Meyers asked the commissioners court to delay considering the matter two weeks ago also due to his displeasure with a state ethics commission’s opinion that reimbursement to elected officials by organizations they represent for expenses incurred during trips related to the organizations should be banned.

That opinion seeks to prevent illegitimate campaign contributions, County Commissioner Grady Prestage said.

Meyers said the ethics commission’s opinion doesn’t clearly define such organizations, fearing that the Conference of Urban Counties, an association he frequently represents on issues he has lobbied in Austin, may not be able to reimburse his travel expense in the future.

“I wanted us to hold back on the changes to our travel policy until we get an attorney general’s opinion to clarify that,” he said.

Sturdivant said the ethics commission’s opinion has nothing to do with the county travel policy because elected officials get reimbursed by the county for their trips that serves a county purpose if the organizations they are associated with don’t do so.

His office determines such eligibility by reviewing an event brochure or a predefined event agenda the officials provide, he said.

Sturdivant said he drafted the proposal in an attempt to save county money and relieve an unnecessary personnel strain on county financial departments.

The changes are projected to result in a $50,000 saving next year, he said.

“It’s a small amount. But we’ve been through a very difficult budget process and are probably going to have a tough one again next year,” he said.

But not making the changes in the travel policy would call for a part-time or full-time position to handle the labor-intensive processing of travel payments and auditing, he said.

“My proposal has been modified enough to where there won’t be any financial hardship on our elected officials,” he said. “I hope Commissioner Meyers is more comfortable now with the changes and the court will give a positive response to the changes.”