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Travel
Section 6.K – Travel
Statutory regulations for per diem, transportation, and subsistence allowances contained in NC General Statute 138‐5, 138‐6, and 138‐7 apply to community colleges. The Office of State Budget and Management provides statements of policy that enable state departments and agencies a comprehensive reference for uniform interpretation to pay or reimburse allowable state travel expenses for official College business. Official College business occurs when an employee or other person is traveling to attend approved job related training, work on behalf of, officially represent, or provide a service related to the College mission. Travel that would notdirectly benefit the College is not reimbursable. The College follows regulations established by the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) for the reimbursement of travel costs. These regulations are provided in Section 1 of the NCCCS Accounting Procedures Manual.
Employee Responsibility
An employee traveling on official College business is expected to exercise the same care in incurring expenses that a prudent person would exercise if traveling on personal business and expending personal funds. Excessive costs, circuitous routes, delays or luxury accommodations and services unnecessary or unjustified in the performance of official College business are not acceptable under this standard. Employees will be responsible for unauthorized or impermissible costs and any additional expenses incurred for personal preference or convenience.
Students who travel on official College business, whose expenses are paid or reimbursed by the College, are subject to the regulations to same extent as College employees. Travel by students must be paid from funds supporting the particular organization or activity, not State funds, with limited exception for authorized, mandatory course requirements.
Authorization for Travel
All travel on official College business, including travel not requiring reimbursement,must be approved in writing by the President or President’s designee prior to departure, and procedures must be followed as it relates to local, in‐state, and out‐of‐state travel.
- Authorization for local travel requires the approval of an Immediate Supervisor and Dean/Director. Local travel is defined as expenses for transportation within the four county service area of the College.
- Authorization for in-state travel requires the additional approval of a Vice President. In-state travel is defined as expenses for transportation, subsistence, or registration outside the four county service area of the College but within the borders of North Carolina.
- Authorization for out-of-state travel requires the additional approval of the College President. Out-of-state travel is defined as expenses for transportation, subsistence, or registration within the continental United States except North Carolina.
In addition, authorization for lodging expenses in excess of the statutory subsistence rate requires advance approval from the Vice President level for in- state travel and the College President for out-of-state travel. Excess lodging may be allowed when the employee is in a high cost area and unable to secure lodging within the current allowance, or when the employee submits in writing an opinion that his or her personal safety or security is unattainable within the current allowance. Excess lodging authorization is not allowed for reason of convenience or personal preference for the employee. Room reservations shall require a minimum of two persons per room unless an odd number of employees are attending a meeting/conference thus providing a single room for one employee, or medical reasons support the need for a private room. Authorization for room reservation exceptions require the approval of a Vice President.
Blanket authorization for travel by College employees who must routinely travel in the course of carrying out official duties requires the advance approval of the President.
Reimbursement for Travel
All reimbursement requests shall be submitted by the employee for approval and payment within 30days after the travel period ends or June 15th,whichever comes first. An authorized traveler must be in overnight travel status in order to be reimbursed for meals and lodging. Overnight travel must involve a travel destination located at least 35 miles from the employee’s regularly assigned duty station or home, whichever is less, to receive reimbursement for lodging. With regard to passenger vehicle travel, whether in-state or out-of-state, employees shall maximize utilization of collegeowned vehicles. In the event that a college-owned vehicle is unavailable, an authorized traveler shall be reimbursed for use of a personal vehicle at the Internal Revenue Service standard business mileage rate for round trips not exceeding 100 miles per day, and at the state excess mileage rate for any excess miles. When practicable, the College will give preference to the use of rental vehicles through State term contracts for shortterm round trips over 100 miles.
(approved July 16, 2018)
Procedures:
Procedures and forms for incurring travel related expenses, requesting reimbursement, and current reimbursement rates are accessible to employees through the College’s internal website.