Policy

Authorizing expenditures of public funds for certain organizational functions, employee development activities and other public purposes, and delegating certain authority.

Whereas, the City of Minneapolis has responsibility for performing certain municipal functions; and

Whereas, the City of Minneapolis is a major public employer in the State of Minnesota and employs approximately 5,000 public employees; and

Whereas, the “public purpose doctrine” permits a governmental entity to expend public funds if the primary purpose of the expenditure is public and the expenditure relates to the governmental purposes for which the entity was created; and

Whereas, the Minneapolis City Council has determined it is necessary and convenient for the fulfillment of the City’s governmental responsibilities for the City Council to authorize discretionary expenditures of public funds for certain employee training and development activities and other public purposes related to the operation and functions of the City; and

Whereas, the Minneapolis City Council, having reviewed and considered the appropriate factual and other background materials, the Minneapolis City Council makes the following public purpose findings and determinations:

1. It is in the public interest to recruit, select and develop an effective, skilled, productive and responsive work force to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of City services.
2. Training and development programs for City employees serve a public purpose when those training and development programs are directly related to the performance of the employees’ job-related duties and are directly related to the governmental responsibilities of the City and its employees.
3. Payment of employee work-related expenses, including travel, lodging and meal expenses, serves a public purpose when those expenses are necessarily incurred by City employees in connection with their actual work assignments or official duties and those expenses are directly related to the performance of the governmental functions for which the City is responsible.
4. Appropriate safety and health programs for City employees serve a public purpose because they result in healthier and more productive employees and reduce certain costs to the taxpayers of the City of Minneapolis, including various costs associated with workers’ compensation and disability benefit claims, insurance premiums, and lost time from employee absences.
5. Public expenditures (which do not involve direct payment of money) for appropriate City employee recognition programs serve a public purpose because formally recognizing employees who make significant contributions and demonstrate their commitment during the performance of their duties results in higher morale and productivity among all City employees and, therefore, permits the Mayor and City Council to fulfill their responsibilities in an efficient and cost-effective manner and assists the City in attracting and retaining an efficient, productive and capable work force.
6. Public expenditures for food and refreshments associated with official City functions serve a public purpose when the provision of food or refreshments is an integral part of an official City function and the provision of food or refreshments is necessary to ensure meaningful participation by the participants.
7. Public expenditures for appropriate community and customer outreach and similar activities serve a public purpose when those expenditures are necessary for the Mayor or City Council to ensure the efficient operation of City departments, promote the availability and use of City resources, and promote coordinated planning activities among and between the public and the private sectors.

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the City Council of the City of Minneapolis:

That, based on these findings, the Minneapolis City Council authorizes its City Coordinator to establish administrative procedures and policies that are consistent with these findings and the following guiding policies:

1. Employee Training and Development Programs. The City may pay reasonable registration, tuition and travel expenses for conferences, seminars, workshops and similar employee training and development opportunities when those training and development opportunities are directly related to the performance of the employee’s official job duties and directly related to the governmental purposes, which are the responsibility of City of Minneapolis elected officials.
2. Expenses Related to Work Assignments. The City may pay reasonable and necessary expenses related to the performance of official City activities including expenses associated with travel, lodging, meals and appropriate incidental expenses related to the performance of official work activities.
3. Employee Safety and Health Programs. The City may pay reasonable and necessary expenses related to the operation of appropriate employee safety and health programs when the benefit of those programs is clearly demonstrated and the programs are not primarily of a social or recreational nature.
4. Employee Recognition Programs. The City may pay reasonable and necessary expenses related to employee recognition and appreciation programs, including service awards to recognize employee performance and length of service.
5. Food and Refreshment. The City may pay reasonable and necessary food or refreshment expenses when:
   1. the cost of a meal or refreshments is part of a structured agenda of a conference, workshop, seminar or meeting, the employee is authorized to attend the conference, workshop, seminar or meeting, and the topic of the conference, workshop, seminar or meeting relates to the official business of the City of Minneapolis; or
   2. refreshments are part of a department-sponsored meeting, conference or workshop and the majority of the participants are not City employees; or
   3. the cost of refreshments, meals and other conference costs are part of a department-sponsored event, registration fees are charged and the majority of the participants are not City employees; or
   4. the cost of refreshments or meals are part of a formal meeting that consists primarily of City employees when the refreshments or meals are an integral part of the formal meeting and are necessary to sustain the flow of the meeting, to retain the captive audience, and to assist the participation of those employees and attendees, but only if the meeting is one of the following:
      1. A department-wide annual or quarterly staff meeting of all of its employees;
      2. A departmental senior management meeting;
      3. A department-wide annual or quarterly staff meeting for all managers; or
      4. A structured training session, available to employees generally, but only if the training has been approved by the Human Resources Department. Except for structured training sessions, the meeting described above shall be held no more frequently than once each quarter. All meetings shall be scheduled to minimize inclusion of meals.
   5. Refreshments or meals are provided during official meetings of the City Council or official meetings of City Council committees, task forces, work groups or advisory committees, provided the provision of refreshments or meals is necessary to sustain the flow of the meeting and to assist the participation of the attendees.
6. Community Outreach. The City may pay reasonable expenses related to community and customer outreach and similar activities when the expenses are necessary to ensure the efficient operation of its governmental activities, or promote the availability and coordinated use of the services provided by the City to its residents, or which improve or promote the health, welfare and prosperity of its citizens.

Procedure

Food and Beverage Procedure (Revised December 17, 2021)