§ 77-B — Expenses of certain public officers and employees attending conventions, conferences and schools

§ 77-b. Expenses of certain public officers and employees attending\nconventions, conferences and schools. 1. Definitions. As used in this\nsection, the following terms shall mean:\n (a) Municipality. A city, county, town, village, school district,\ncooperative educational services district, improvement district, soil\nconservation district, public library, community college, fire district.\n (b) Governing Board. A common council, board of aldermen, city\ncouncil, or board of estimate of a city, the county legislature or board\nof supervisors of a county, the town board of a town, the board of\ntrustees of a village, the board of education of a school district, the\nboard of cooperative educational services, the board of commissioners of\nan improvement district, the board of directors of a soil conservation\ndistrict, the trustees of a public library, the trustees of a community\ncollege, and the board of fire commissioners of a fire district.\n (c) Conference. A convention, conference, or school conducted for the\nbetterment of any municipality or a convention or conference of\nfirefighters or firemanic officers if believed to be of benefit to the\nmunicipality.\n 2. The governing board of a municipality may, by a majority vote,\nauthorize any of its members or any officer or employee or the chief or\nassistant chief of its fire department or other person who has been\nelected pursuant to law to a public office of a municipality for which\nthe term of office has not commenced to attend a conference. Such\nconference travel shall be for official business and shall be made\nutilizing a cost-effective and reasonable method of travel.\nAuthorization must be by resolution adopted prior to such attendance,\nduly entered in the record of the proceedings of the municipality.\nHowever, the governing board may delegate the power to authorize\nattendance at such conference to any executive officer or any\nadministrative board.\n 3. All actual and necessary registration fees, all actual and\nnecessary expenses of travel, meals and lodging and all necessary\ntuition fees incurred in connection with attendance at a conference\nshall be a charge against the municipality and the amount thereof shall\nbe audited, allowed and paid in the same manner as are other claims\nagainst such municipality.\n 4. Where authorization to attend a conference shall have been granted\nby any executive officer or administrative board no claim or expenses\nshall be audited, allowed or paid unless there shall be attached thereto\na travel order or similar document signed by such executive officer or\nby the chairman of the administrative board, as the case may be,\nauthorizing the claimant to attend such conference. If travel is by car,\nowned by any person so authorized, he shall receive an amount not to\nexceed the amount which the governing board allows as mileage.\n 5. No person shall be entitled to any compensation for the time spent\nin attending such a conference except that no deductions shall be made\nfrom the salary of a person so attending because of such attendance.\n 6. Advances of money for estimated expenditures, for registration\nfees, travel, meals, lodging and tuition fees may be made to a person\nduly authorized to attend a conference provided itemized vouchers\nshowing actual expenditures are submitted after such attendance and\nmoneys advanced in excess of such expenditures are refunded to the\nmunicipality or expenditures in excess of such estimate are audited and\npaid by the municipality. Where an officer or employee fails to return\nsuch excess advance, at the time of submitting his itemzied vouchers or\nupon demand after audit of such voucher, the municipality shall deduct\nthe amount of such unreturned excess advance from the salary or other\nmoney owed the officer or employee by the municipality.\n