HomeMy WebLinkAbout(0010) Ordinance Amending 2-12.PDFORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE REVISING CHAPTER 2, "ADMINISTRATION," OF
THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS (2015), AS
AMENDED, TO REVISE SECTION 2-12, "REIMBURSEMENT OF
NECESSARY EXPENSES INCURRED BY MEMBERS OF THE CITY
COUNCIL IN PERFORMANCE OF THEIR OFFICIAL DUTIES;" TO
ELIMINATE OUTDATED REFERENCES TO ADMINISTRATIVE
POLICIES AND ALIGN PROCESSES FOR ALL REIMBURSEMENTS;,
PROVIDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE SHALL BE CUMULATIVE OF
ALL PRIOR ORDINANCES AND REPEAL CONFLICTING
ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR A SEVERABILIT NofF
AND
PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, Chapter III, § 3 of the Charter CitWorth sets the
compensation to be paid to the Mayor and to each Counc ember and also provides that "all
necessary expenses incurred by the City Council in perform e of their official duties shall be
paid by the city"; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the quoted lan lfe, the City Council previously
enacted Section 2-12 of the City Co entitled "Reimburscofent of Necessary Expenses Incurred
by Members of the City Council i formance of their Official Duties"; and
WHEREAS, in adoptinlftlion 2-1 the City Council made itself subject to the City
Manager's administrative regul for r ursement of travel and out-of-town meeting
expenses and establis differe p u for processing reimbursements of other necessary
expenditures; and.
WHE AS, the spec administrative regulation referenced in Section 2-12 has since
been repeal replaced; d
WHEEREA , avmg different sets of procedures for processing reimbursements
depending upon the of expense increases confusion and the likelihood of mistakes being
mad&; and
WHE S, staff recommends revising the City Code to eliminate the outdated
reference and to provide for all City Council reimbursements to be processed in accordance with
administrative regulations adopted by the City Manager; and
WHEREAS, City Council finds it advisable to enact the recommended amendments.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
Ordinance No.
Page 1 of 4
OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, THAT:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2, "Administration," Section 2-12, "Reimbursement of Necessary Expenses
Incurred by Members of the City Council in Performance of Their Official Duties," of the Code
of City of Fort Worth (2015), as amended, is hereby amended to repeal and r lace subsection
(b), to update the definition of "Necessary Expenses" in subsection (c), and re ise subsection
(d), and after such amendment Section 2-12 shall read as follows:
(a) Purpose. The City Charter provides that the city shall pay all necessary expenses
incurred by members of the city council in the performance of their official duties. This
section establishes procedures to be followed in reimbursing members of the city council
for such expenses.
(b) Applicability. This section applies to reimbursement of members of the city council
for all necessary expenses incurred by the city council in performance of their official
duties.
(c) Definitions.
NECESSARYEXPENSES.
IL NN, 1W
a. Expenses that are reasonable and necessary for a member of the city
council to incur in the performance of his or her official duties. Such
expenses may include, but are not limited to, expenditures for personal
automobile usage, telephone calls and postage and costs of travel related
to official city business.
lk i
b. NECESSARYEXPENSES do not include expenditures for:
\ 1. Political advertising or political purposes;
2. Personal entertainment;
3. Compensation of additional council assistants or personnel to
assist a council member; or
4. Personal expenditures that are not related to a council member's
official duties.
Ordinance No.
Page 2 of 4
POLITICAL ADVERTISING. A communication supporting or opposing a
candidate for nomination or election to a public office or office of a political
party, a political party, a public office or a measure that:
a. In return for consideration, is published in a newspaper, magazine or
periodical or is broadcast by radio or television; and/or
b. Appears in a letter, pamphlet, circular, flier, billboard or other sign,
bumper sticker or similar form of written communication.
L \
(d) Procedures.
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(1) The annual budget shall include a specified amount which shall be available
to reimburse each member of the city council for necessary expenses that he or
she incurs during the fiscal year. Except for expenses for business related travel
reers:��sr:�ssrze!��rr_e!�: �!se�r:rrsr�:�e!�see!s:s�r�_
(2) To apply fe reimbursement, a member- of eit-eouncilshall submit to the
city o retaFy ., monthly expense reimbursement form ("reimbursement
"remb.rsemet form")
Thecityseer-etar-y shall ffep o a fOF fn thiS PUfPE)Se r ries f . - . I
itemized receipts shall be attached to the reimbursement form to document al-1
expen3 itHies. in the ease of a lost ^vi-vrgotteni re6 +e member—fthe city
council may submit a memorandum providing details and eeftifying that th
expense was i,,,.ti ffo l In adopting this ordinance, the city council agrees to
follow procedures to be adopted by the city manager that address reimbursement
of travel and non -travel related out-of-pocket expenses for elected officials with
such policy to provide for basic documentation of such expenses. including
required receipts.
(3) The eity seeFetar-y shall review the r-eimbufsement foFm to deteFmine that it is
semplete;that the expenses listed were ineuFFed in the �er-f per-�eo f ffiei ,1
<A seer-eta-Fy appr-eves the r-eimbufsement fem, the eity seer-etafy shall forward it to
duties, and that the expenses were Feasonable a -ad neeessary. AfteF the eity
tl,o payable section of the .aopaftment of f;sea se o . Reimbursement
forms completed in accordance with the citmanager's policy shall be reviewed
by the chief of staff or deputy chief of staff for the mayor and city council. That
review shall consist of ensuring forms are complete and determining whether
budgeted funds are available to pay the amount shown. Following this review,
the reimbursement request shall be forwarded to city staff charged with
processing accounts payable for payment.
Ordinance No.
Page 3 of 4
SECTION 2.
This ordinance shall be cumulative of all provisions of ordinances of the Code of the City of
Fort Worth, Texas, (2015), as amended, except where the provisions of this ordinance are in direct
conflict with the provisions of such ordinances and such Code, in which event conflicting provisions
of such ordinances and such Code are hereby repealed.
A,
SECTION 3.
It is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council at t e phrases, clauses,
sentences, paragraphs and sections of this ordinance are severable, an , if any phrase, clause,
sentence, paragraph or section of this ordinance shall be declared unconstitutionai&ythe valid
judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, such unconstitutionality s not affect
any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and kctioO of this or inance, since
the same would have been enacted by the City Council w' out the incorporation in this ordinance
of any such unconstitutional phrase, clause, sentence, parag ection. Jr
SE/the
TION 4.
All other provisions of Chapter 2 Code of t e �by
Yof Fort Worth, as amended,
pshall remain in full force and effect sav exce t as ame ethis ordinance.
SE TION
This ordinance shall tak%LEEG
upof
� APPROVED AS TFORM ATY
Assistant City Attorney
��'
Ad ted Effective:
Ordinance No.
Page 4 of 4
and it is so ordained.
ATTEST:
Mary J. Kayser, City Secretary