N.Y. General Municipal Law § 77-b: Expenses of certain public officers and employees attending conventions, conferences and schools

§ 77-b. Expenses of certain public officers and employees attending

conventions, conferences and schools. 1. Definitions. As used in this

section, the following terms shall mean:

(a) Municipality. A city, county, town, village, school district,

cooperative educational services district, improvement district, soil

conservation district, public library, community college, fire district.

(b) Governing Board. A common council, board of aldermen, city

council, or board of estimate of a city, the county legislature or board

of supervisors of a county, the town board of a town, the board of

trustees of a village, the board of education of a school district, the

board of cooperative educational services, the board of commissioners of

an improvement district, the board of directors of a soil conservation

district, the trustees of a public library, the trustees of a community

college, and the board of fire commissioners of a fire district.

(c) Conference. A convention, conference, or school conducted for the

betterment of any municipality or a convention or conference of

firefighters or firemanic officers if believed to be of benefit to the

municipality.

2. The governing board of a municipality may, by a majority vote,

authorize any of its members or any officer or employee or the chief or

assistant chief of its fire department or other person who has been

elected pursuant to law to a public office of a municipality for which

the term of office has not commenced to attend a conference. Such

conference travel shall be for official business and shall be made

utilizing a cost-effective and reasonable method of travel.

Authorization must be by resolution adopted prior to such attendance,

duly entered in the record of the proceedings of the municipality.

However, the governing board may delegate the power to authorize

attendance at such conference to any executive officer or any

administrative board.

3. All actual and necessary registration fees, all actual and

necessary expenses of travel, meals and lodging and all necessary

tuition fees incurred in connection with attendance at a conference

shall be a charge against the municipality and the amount thereof shall

be audited, allowed and paid in the same manner as are other claims

against such municipality.

4. Where authorization to attend a conference shall have been granted

by any executive officer or administrative board no claim or expenses

shall be audited, allowed or paid unless there shall be attached thereto

a travel order or similar document signed by such executive officer or

by the chairman of the administrative board, as the case may be,

authorizing the claimant to attend such conference. If travel is by car,

owned by any person so authorized, he shall receive an amount not to

exceed the amount which the governing board allows as mileage.

5. No person shall be entitled to any compensation for the time spent

in attending such a conference except that no deductions shall be made

from the salary of a person so attending because of such attendance.

6. Advances of money for estimated expenditures, for registration

fees, travel, meals, lodging and tuition fees may be made to a person

duly authorized to attend a conference provided itemized vouchers

showing actual expenditures are submitted after such attendance and

moneys advanced in excess of such expenditures are refunded to the

municipality or expenditures in excess of such estimate are audited and

paid by the municipality. Where an officer or employee fails to return

such excess advance, at the time of submitting his itemzied vouchers or

upon demand after audit of such voucher, the municipality shall deduct

the amount of such unreturned excess advance from the salary or other

money owed the officer or employee by the municipality.