2023 New York Laws › GMU - General Municipal › Article 5 - Powers, Limitations and Liabilities › 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.