District Supervisor travel/per diem

[Brian Farkas]

I am working on a project in West Virginia and need help! Can you all tell me how district supervisors in your states are compensated?

I am looking for the following:
1. Does your state contribute and/or set supervisor travel and per diem?
2. If yes, does the state contribution cover all or a portion of the annual cost?
3. If no, how are travel and per diem rates set?
4. What are your state’s travel and per diem rates?

I’m sure I’m missing something, and may need to circle back to you all, but I would appreciate all the help I can get from you all.

Thanks,

Brian

• This topic was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by Aaron.
• This topic was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by Aaron.

[Doug Thomas]

From Minnesota:

Statute says: Subd. 4.Compensation. A supervisor shall receive compensation for services up to $75 per day, and may be reimbursed for expenses, including traveling expenses, necessarily incurred in the discharge of duties. A supervisor may be reimbursed for the use of the supervisor’s own automobile in the performance of official duties at a rate up to the maximum tax-deductible mileage rate permitted under the federal Internal Revenue Code.

Districts are not compensated by the State directly for these expenses rather it is an allowable expense and as such they are able to use their annual State conservation services grant to cover these costs.

Doug Thomas

[Laurie Zeller]

Montana’s conservation district supervisors are compensated according to the laws set for government employees and elected officials. They are entitled to receive up to $23 a day for meals; lodging at state rates (which closely follows federal rates); and mileage according to the IRS reimbursement rates. In addition, conservation districts may set rates for supervisors’ time. It varies greatly depending on the CDs income — some CDs pay $100 a day, some pay $50 a day, some pay an hourly wage, some pay nothing.

It is important to know that how supervisors are compensated and how records are kept affects whether the IRS considers supervisors an employee for withholding and reporting purposes.

Montana CDs use their mill levies, administrative grants from the state, or funds from other sources to pay operating expenses.

[RJ Spencer]

Utah Conservation Districts

1. Does your state contribute and/or set supervisor travel and per diem?
Yes – We reimburse mileage at $0.52 per mile at the state rate, Per diem is included when approved by the Conservation District board in a meeting. Per Diem are state rates – Breakfast – $10, Lunch $14, Dinner $18. This is only on overnight trips for conferences or trainings. It is an application sent in to state office and paid to supervisors using only direct deposit.

2. If yes, does the state contribution cover all or a portion of the annual cost? We call is Supervisor Expense Reimbursement Account (SERA) – we cover all costs that are approved by the individual CD’s (motion required in meeting minutes). Utah provides about $175K for the entire state to cover 190 supervisors in 38 CD’s.

FYI – Supervisors are provided a hourly rate for meetings of $15 hr or daily MAX $90 day, this would include travel. So if they travel for 6 hours, they can’t get additional payments for meeting they attend. It is just up to $90 day no matter hours traveled or meeting time.

We have a meeting in the south end of Utah and some of the supervisors that live in the northern part of Utah end up with over $1000 reimbursement for a 2 day meeting. With daily rate, mileage, per diem, it adds up quickly. Utah uses most of the state appropriation quickly. Some CD’s don’t use any…. it just depends on CD activity and projects. But you can see who is doing projects by how much SERA they use.

It is currently “open season” first come first serve. No one district is capped nor minimum set. When the funds run out, there isn’t additional funds to spare.

Hope that helps. It works for Utah! Have a great day Brian!

[Bruce Schmidt]

1.— Mileage 54.5 cents / mile if no NRCS vehicle
And option to get a lesser rate if you choose to take your personal when you have the option of NRCS vehicle is .18 cents/mile

Breakfast $7
Lunch $10.50
Dinner $17.50
Lodging for State rate is $81.90 plus taxes

2 — no

3. – local mill levy

4. – Same

[Blair Gordon]

Virginia:

1. Does your state contribute and/or set supervisor travel and per diem?
The state provides each District with general operating funds, of which, it is suggested that Districts set aside a minimum of $500 per Director for travel each year. Districts also have funds from other sources which may be put towards operational expenses.

2. If yes, does the state contribution cover all or a portion of the annual cost?
All Director travel expenses could be covered by the operational money from the state.

3. If no, how are travel and per diem rates set?

3. What are your state’s travel and per diem rates?
The state and Districts follow the federal per diem rates and the IRS mileage rate.

Districts can follow one of two policies for reimbursing for travel expenses: reimburse based on actual receipts and mileage, or reimburse on a per diem rate and mileage.

[Ray Ledgerwood]

1. Does your state contribute and/or set supervisor travel and per diem?
Washington provides funding in multiple grants…limits of travel rates and perdiem follow state rules…web address for current rates and rules is https://www.ofm.wa.gov/accounting/saam/contents.

2. If yes, does the state contribution cover all or a portion of the annual cost?
Not necessarily, Washington State Conservation Districts do fund some of their own annual travel costs using their own operating policies that could differ from the state rules for the funds the Commission provides on grant reimbursable. Several CDs use the state rates for continuity with grants for Commission.

3. If no, how are travel and per diem rates set?
See above.

4. What are your state’s travel and per diem rates?
See link above for current rates and rules.

[Marc Cribb]

1. Does your state contribute and/or set supervisor travel and per diem?
No. We do recommend the supervisors use the state rates for mileage and meal reimbursement.

If no, how are travel and per diem rates set?
Districts can set their own travel policy or use the state rates (most use state rates)

3. What are your state’s travel and per diem rates?
Per Diem:

Brfast lunch dinner per day
In State $6.00 $7.00 $12.00 $25.00
Out of State $7.00 $9.00 $16.00 $32.00
IRS mileage rate

[Bill Smith]

South Dakota does not contribute to or set conservation district supervisor travel rates. Rates are set by the individual conservation districts. In some instances, they may mirror state’s per diem rates for in-state travel.

South Dakota per diem rates are posted at: https://bhr.sd.gov/classification/compensation/travelrates.pdf

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Bill Smith

[Frank Minch]

According to State Statute, Supervisors are “entitled to expenses, and a per diem in an amount to be established by the State Soil Conservation Committee within the limits of available appropriations when engaged in the performance of his duties.”

Since we have not had an “available appropriation” for the last 10 years, supervisors do not receive any monies from the state and are not permitted to receive per diem from the local District. The rate (when we had funding) was $12 for a 1/2 day, $20 for a full day. While state mileage reimbursement rate has remained unchanged at $0.31/mi., most Districts provide reimbursements at the federal rate.

All registration and travel costs for state, regional and national meetings is covered by the local Districts. As such, the number of District Officials attending such events has declined dramatically.

[Colleen Meredith]

1. Does your state contribute and/or set supervisor travel and per diem?
Yes. Supervisors are provided mileage and per diem from state funds.
2. If yes, does the state contribution cover all or a portion of the annual cost?
The state contribution covers the annual cost; SWCD local funds can be used to supplement amounts if desired.
3. If no, how are travel and per diem rates set?
4. What are your state’s travel and per diem rates?
¹ Utilization of state funds for lodging expenses will only be allowed up to the federal
per diem rates set for Missouri (www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287).
² Mileage reimbursements will not exceed the established state per diem rates
(https://oa.mo.gov/accounting/state-employees/travel-portal-information/mileage).
³ Meal expenses (exception in attending conference with provided meals) cannot
exceed the established state per diem rates (https://oa.mo.gov/accounting/stateemployees/
travel-portal-information/state-meals-diem). To qualify for meal
reimbursement, individuals must be in travel status for greater than twelve (12)
hours or have overnight lodging.

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