There were 16 responses to my question regarding whether or not cities pay for service club dues (Rotary, etc.). It appears that of the 16, 9 cities have some form of reimbursement program, 7 say no. The comments I received are below. Thanks for your input. Don Rhoads Finance Director City of Monterey ###################################################### We don't have a policy, but our practice is that membership can be approved if it can be taken from the departmental travel & meeting budget. Christine Taub Finance Director / City Clerk City of Lemon Grove Don - we don't typically pay for these types of memberships for employees (and I don't think the City should)..Agnes Redondo Beach Danville does not reimburse for these memberships Elizabeth H. Hudson Finance Director/Treasurer We do not reimburse employees for any membership and related fees. I know, I'm in Kiwanis. An employee might be able to make a weak case for writing it off on their individual tax return as a business expense. Bret Plumlee, Director of Finance City of El Segundo Our "policy" is one line in the Tuition Reimbursement Policy: "Tuition reimbursement allowance may also be utilized to cover the cost of membership fees for job-related professional associations. " This is only available to management level employees - the other employees may only use tuition reimbursement for books & fees for courses and seminars/workshops. Mary Kaerth El Cajon Our District has no policy. One employee, our Public Relations Manager (Information Officer), was reimbursed for Soroptomist membership. It caused some hard feelings since another employee was a Past President and had never been assisted with the costs. A policy sounds like the right way to go. Rhonda McFarlane Chief Financial Officer So. Tahoe Public Utility District City of Alameda picks up the tab for membership dues and monthly luncheon fees for such memberships for executive management staff (department heads) who belong to such groups as Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber iof Commerce Zenda James Our membership fees strictly calls for job related activities that promotes the city and contributes to the performance of an employees' position. Marylou Matienzo Finance Director National City Don (and Ralph): While this has been discussed on and off over the years (and there was once a provision for this in our police staff association MOA, which represents police sergeants, lieutenants and captains), our current policy is clearly that we do not pay these types of costs. Bill Statler San Luis Obispo In the City of Camarillo, our former City Manager had his Rotary membership dues as an element of his contract. We do not have a policy for other employees. Anita Lawrence Don - we don't have a formal policy, but not only do we pay for the service clubs such as Rotary, etc., but our City Manager strongly encourages his senior management staff to join. The benefit to the City in terms of goodwill in the community is enormous, and should be considered an investment. Bruce Moe City of Manhattan Beach Had this question come up just last week. Our Controller was elected Secretary of a local Rotary Club, and asked for reimbursement for expenses to the District conference in Riverside. We do not have a written policy on this topic, so the General Manager asked for a letter establishing a business nexus to the service we provide. The real selling point in the response was that the organization serves the community, and a presence in community shows our commitment to service; our interest in local events. It worked and we will pay for employee lodging and meals for the event. You might give it a try and see what happens. John Concar, Treasurer El Toro Water District Half Moon Bay reimburses some management employees for membership fees to local civic organization, but it is via their contract. All department heads at HMB are contract employees. I hope this helps some. Jon Ellis Half Moon Bay The City of Carson provides this benefit to the Department Directors only. It is approved as part of our Resolution of Benefits (in lieu of an MOU). The City will pay up to $200/year for each of us to be a member in one of these organizations. Jackie Acosta Director of Finance City of Carson No formal policy. The City pays for City Manager and any Dept. Head that is a member of Rotary. Roberto Moreno Finance Director, King City Visalia many moons ago (8+ years?!) used to pay for service club memberships for select staff (usually Dept Heads or Assistants) to participate in local service clubs (as opposed to reimbursement). That practice came to end in the budget cuts of '92 and '93 and has never been re-instituted. Changes in City Management and Council would, I believe, preclude us from doing so again. Private participation is still certainly encouraged , however! Robert Groeber in Visalia
