Accounts Payable

Travel Updates

On July 1, 2008, the following travel changes will be effective. These changes apply to both non-represented and represented employees unless specifically superseded by the employee's collective bargaining agreement.

Mileage

The current rate of $.465 for business use of a personal vehicle is increased to $.485 per mile. This is the rate an employee receives for use of their personal vehicle when they have a non-availability slip or if the trip does not require a non-availability slip to receive the higher mileage rate.
The rate an employee must pay for personal use of a state vehicle was also increased from $.465 to $.485 per mile (plus applicable sales taxes).
The rates for use of a specially equipped van for persons with disabilities are increased as follows: If no state-owned van is available the rate increases from $.64 to $.66 per mile. The rate for using such a van when a state-owned van is available increases from $.59 to $.61 per mile.
There has been no change in the "turndown rate". It remains at $.32 per mile. This is the rate an employee receives for business use of their personal vehicle when a state vehicle is available or if the employee does not have a non-availability slip when one is required.

Lodging
In-State

The Bureau of Procurement has issued a revised In-State Lodging Contract effective July 1, 2008. The revised contract is similar in scope to the current contract but includes the following revisions:

The contract will be optional for state employees, not mandatory
The reimbursement rate will increase to $70 per night, excluding tax ($80 in Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha counties)
No bid requirement for interested properties
Properties are no longer required to submit semi-annual usage reports
Properties are still allowed to have blackout dates but they are not required to report them to us. Properties are responsible for notifying travelers of blackout dates at the time of reservation
Open enrollment for properties throughout the contract term

Please continue using the current lodging contract for your travel needs until the new contract takes effect July 1,
2008. We will continue to maintain the property listing Web page that allows users to search by property name,
city, county or zip code at http://vendornet.state.wi.us/vendornet/travel/LodgingInfo.asp.

If you are making reservations now for dates after July 1, 2008 please use the current lodging list available to you
but remember that the rates will be $70 for all counties except for Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha where the
rate will be $80.

Out-of-State

The out-of-state maximum also increases to $70 except for those cities included in the high cost out-of-state cities.

Red Roof Inns has increased their discount rate from 15% to 20% under our Big 10 contract. Booking code and
reservation instructions are on the UW System travel website at: http://www.uwsa.edu/fadmin/fppp/fppp36e.htm

Air travel

Airlines are now charging for pre-assigned seats and for a second piece of checked luggage. Because our contract with Travelport for online booking automatically monitors and assigns seats that can’t be reserved at the time of booking, that cost will not be reimbursable.

Effective June 15th, American Airlines will charge $15 for the first piece of checked luggage. Most airlines copy their competitors. If this change is moderately well received by the general public, it is likely other airlines will follow suit. Reimbursement of the charge for the first piece of luggage for domestic trips and the first two pieces of luggage for foreign trips will be allowed with no explanation needed. Reimbursement for additional checked luggage (usually $25 per bag) will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Travelers should use good judgment in packing for business trips and try to avoid the additional charge. As with other miscellaneous expense claims, receipts are only required for claims in excess of $25.

Meals

There is no change in the in-state or out-of-state meal maximums. The maximums remain at $8 for breakfast, $9 for lunch and $17 for dinner for in-state travel. The out-of-state maximums are $10 for breakfast, $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner.

Vehicle Rentals

In a small but positive step toward keeping our planet green, we have changed UW System travel policy to allow reimbursement for the additional rental cost of Hybrid vehicles under our contract with Enterprise for in-state rentals. At such time as National increases their fleet of Hybrid vehicles and accurately specifies their rate structure, we may allow reimbursement for out-of-state rentals under that contract as well.

Reimbursement for navigation systems (GPS) is generally not allowed. GPS cost may be reimbursed only with prior approval of the supervisor and with adequate justification such as multiple business locations in a large urban area.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Becky Zillmer at 836-5266 (zillmera@uwec.edu) or Vickie Gardner at 836-4528 (gardnevl@uwec.edu).