Kansas Department of Administration, Office of General Services
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INFORMATIONAL CIRCULAR NO. 99-A-003 (Supersedes Informational Circular No. 1332) 
DATE:  June 18, 1998
SUBJECT: High Cost Geographic Areas and Conference Lodging
EFFECTIVE DATE:      July 1, 1998
A & R CONTACT: Audit Services Team -     Randy Kennedy     (785) 296-2125
    Leroy Charbonneau   (785) 296-2255
    Shirley Gilchrist (785) 296-2882
    Jo Ann Remp (785) 296-2277
APPROVAL: Approved by Dale Brunton
SUMMARY: Revised high-cost geographic areas and provisions for payment of the actual cost of conference-related lodging effective July 1, 1998.

Effective July 1, 1998, Kansas Administrative Regulation 1-16-18a has been amended. Additions and deletions were made to the list of high-cost geographic areas throughout. Please note the changes for the Washington D.C. and New York City areas identified under "Out-of-State Special Designated High-Cost Geographic Areas."

The boundaries of designated high-cost geographic areas include all locations within the corporate limits of the cities listed, unless otherwise specified. The designated high-cost geographic areas are:

In-State High-Cost Geographic Areas

Kansas City, including all locations within Johnson and Wyandotte Counties
Manhattan, including all locations within Riley County
Topeka, including all locations within Shawnee County
Wichita, including all locations within Sedgwick County

Out-of-State High-Cost Geographic Areas

Afton, Oklahoma, including Shangri-La Resort
Anchorage, Alaska
Aspen, Colorado, including all locations within Pitkin County
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlantic City, New Jersey, including all locations within Atlantic County
Austin, Texas
Avon and Beaver Creek, Colorado
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland
Barrow, Alaska
Boca Raton, Florida
Boston, Massachusetts, including all locations within Suffolk County
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Carmel, California
Chicago, Illinois, including all locations within Du Page, Lake, and Cook Counties
Cleveland, Ohio
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Edison, New Jersey, including all locations within Middlesex County
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fort Meyers and Sanibel Island, Florida, including all locations within Lee County
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, including all locations within Beaufort County
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, including all locations on the Island of Oahu
Houston, Texas
Indianapolis, Indiana
Juneau, Alaska
Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Kailau-Kona, Hawaii
Kaunakakai, Molokai, Hawaii
Keystone, Colorado, including all locations within Summitt County
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Kodiak, Alaska
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Los Angeles, California, including all locations within Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, and Ventura Counties
Miami, Florida
Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, including all locations within Hennepin, Ramsey, and Anoka Counties
Monterey, California, including all locations within Monterey County
Nashville, Tennessee
Newark, New Jersey, including all locations within Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, and Union Counties
New Orleans, Louisiana, including all locations within Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes
Newport, Rhode Island, including all locations within Newport County
Nome, Alaska
Oakland, California, including all locations within Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin Counties
Ocean City, Maryland, including all locations within Worcester County
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including all locations within Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
Princeton, New Jersey, including all locations within Mercer County
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California, including all locations within San Diego County
San Francisco, California, including all locations within San Francisco County
San Mateo, California, including all locations within San Mateo County
Santa Barbara, California, including all locations within Santa Barbara County
Santa Cruz, California, including all locations within Santa Cruz County
Seattle, Washington, including all locations within King County
South Padre Island, Texas
Stamford, Connecticut
St. Louis, Missouri
Sun Valley, Idaho, including all locations within Blaine County
Tampa, Florida
Tom's River, New Jersey, including all locations within Ocean County
Tuscon, Arizona
Vail, Colorado, including all locations within Eagle County
Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
White Plains, New York, including all locations within Westchester County
All cities in countries located outside the borders of the United States

Out-Of-State, Special Designated High-Cost Geographic Areas

Washington D.C., including the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church, the counties of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudon in Virginia, and the counties of Montgomery and Prince Georges in Maryland

New York, New York, including all locations within the counties of Nassau and Suffolk

State agencies may request the Director of Accounts and Reports to conduct a study of subsistence costs in any area not designated as a high-cost area. If the study findings of an area justify inclusion, the Director of Accounts and Reports may recommend to the Secretary of Administration that the area be added to the list of high-cost geographic areas. If the Secretary approves the addition of that area, subsistence payments for travel to the area may be made at the rate designated for high-cost geographic areas.

Actual Conference Lodging Reimbursement

The agency head must be provided with conference materials indicating that the conference will be held at or in connection with a lodging establishment with rates exceeding both the applicable lodging expense limitation established under K.A.R. 1-16-18 and the exception provided in K.S.A. 75-3207a(e). This exception allows the lodging rate to be exceeded by the lesser of either: (1) an additional 50% of the applicable lodging expense limitation, or (2) the actual lodging expense incurred.

K.A.R. 1-16-18a(e) has been amended to allow an agency to request to pay or reimburse actual lodging expenses when an employee is required or authorized to attend a conference, and the lodging rate exceeds the applicable lodging expense limitation (including the additional 50%). The term "conference" means any seminar, association meeting, clinic, colloquium, convention, symposium, or similar gathering that is attended by a state employee in pursuit of a goal, obligation, function, or duty imposed upon a state agency or performed on behalf of a state agency.

Before the date of travel, the agency should submit an original and one photocopy of Form DA-28, "Request for Actual Conference Lodging" to the Director of Accounts and Reports. The request must include the name of the conference, the dates of the conference, the location of the conference, and the name or names of the employees traveling to the conference. The agency head must sign the form to confirm that the conference lodging rates exceed the applicable lodging expense limitation. The requests will be reviewed for completeness and the Director of Accounts and Reports' signature will be affixed, and the original copy returned to the agency.

When the payment voucher is submitted for lodging, the original DA-28 must be attached to the payment voucher.

The reimbursement or direct payment of actual lodging expenses shall be effective for the approved conference and shall be applicable only to the state employee or employees attending the conference. Meal allowance will be reimbursed at the regular meal allowance rate based on the location of the conference.

The provision to pay actual conference lodging replaces the temporary high-cost geographic area designation approval process. The date on which expenses are incurred determines the appropriate approval process.

A copy of Form DA-28 is attached to this circular. The agency should make sufficient copies of this form to meet their needs, or access the form at www.ink.org/public/da/ar.

SAM:JR
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