Sec. 10.105. - Postage and communication expenses of Council members.

(a) Postage. No Council member shall receive any postage allowance for official mail originating from City Hall; the cost of such postage shall be paid from the appropriations for postage generally for the Council. If a Council member is authorized to maintain an office at public expense outside City Hall, the Council Secretary or designee is authorized to procure and furnish United States postage stamps to such Council member in an amount not exceeding $75 monthly for use on mail originating from such office in connection with his official business. The Council member and any person to whom he entrusts custody of the postage stamps shall be accountable for their safekeeping and use on official business only, and the accountable person shall be subject to audit by the Council Auditor for this purpose. (b) Telephone. No Council member shall receive any allowance for telephone expense for official calls originating from City Hall; the cost of such telephone calls shall be paid from the appropriations for telephone expenses generally for the Council. If a Council member is authorized to maintain an office at public expense outside City Hall, the Information Technology Division, at the request of the Council member, is authorized to have installed at such office one telephone set, which shall be an extension of the City's central telephone exchange and the installation and service charges for which shall be paid from the appropriations for telephone expenses generally for the City. Regardless of whether a Council member is authorized to maintain an office outside City Hall, he may have installed at public expense one telephone line either at his home or at his place of business, with the approval of the Council President. If the request is approved, the Information Technology Division is authorized to have installed at the designated place one telephone set, which shall be an extension of the City's central telephone exchange and the installation and service charges for which shall be paid from the appropriations for telephone expenses generally for the City. For each telephone installed outside City Hall pursuant to this subsection, the Council member on whose behalf it was installed may expend in long-distance telephone tolls no more than $100 monthly, and he shall maintain a record of long-distance calls on the forms prescribed by the Information Technology Division for use by the Council Secretary. In reconciling telephone charges, long-distance tolls shall be paid from the appropriation for telephone charges by the Council. Only telephone calls in connection with his official business shall be made or authorized by the Council member on whose behalf a telephone line was installed and he shall be accountable for all unofficial telephone calls and charges and for all charges in excess of the monthly allowance provided by this subsection; provided, that, if the monthly toll charges exceed the amount authorized, the Council member may direct that the excess amount be charged against his following month's telephone expense allowance. The monthly allowances herein authorized shall not be cumulative, but shall be available only for one month. (c) Emergency, mobile or converged communication device. Notwithstanding anything in Chapter 10 to the contrary, City cellular phones shall not be issued to any elected or appointed official or employee in the legislative branch except as provided herein. Based on an annual request for an emergency mobile communications allowance, City Council Members may receive a monthly allowance not to exceed $100 for cellular phone service and converged data device service. Each City Council Member, at his or her sole discretion, may share or allocate in whole or in part, the monthly allowance authorized herein with their respective Executive Council Assistant so long as the total monthly allowance for cellular phone service and converged data device service does not exceed $100 per Council Member office. Appointed officials or employees of the legislative branch, as authorized by their Director, may receive a monthly allowance not to exceed $100 for cellular phone service and converged data device service. The use shall be requested and verified. The Personnel Committee is authorized to promulgate the policy and rules for this subsection. (d) Other communications. All other communications by a Council member in his official capacity shall be paid for by the Council, subject to the general approval of the Council President concerning the use of communication equipment and services and the amounts to be spent thereon. Reimbursement for expenses incurred by or on behalf of a Council member under this subsection shall be requested by the Council member upon his personal certification of the amount and purpose of the communication expense and he shall be accountable for improperly certified expenses. (e) Allowances not to be paid in cash. The allowances authorized by this Section shall not be paid in cash to any person, except for the purchase of the goods or services authorized. No part of any allowance hereunder shall be deemed to be income nor paid as compensation to any Council member or any other person, nor shall any Council member have any right to demand payment in cash of any allowance to which he is entitled under this Section. (Ord. 83-591-400, § 1; Ord. 1999-418-E, § 2; Ord. 2000-793-E, § 2; Ord. 2005-509-E, § 1; Ord. 2005-943-E, § 1; Ord. 2011-732-E; Ord. 2014-410-E, § 1; Ord. 2024-934-E , § 1) Editor's note— Ordinance 2007-839-E, § 18, authorized updated department/division names pursuant to reorganization.