1. Rationale

Some employees of the Palos Heights Public Library are required to use personal vehicles in the conduct of designated library business on a scheduled or non-scheduled basis.


2. Policy

It is the policy of The Board of Trustees of the Palos Heights Public Library to compensate employees for use of personal vehicles on designated library business.


3. Definitions

  1. “Designated library business” refers to library personnel meeting role expectations or assignments that take them away from the regular work place on a scheduled or non-scheduled basis.
  2. “Regular work place” refers to a location(s) to which an employee is assigned on a daily basis.

4. Guidelines

  1. Employee assignments are the responsibility of supervisory personnel and authorization for use of private vehicles in carrying out these assignments may only be given by the same supervisory personnel.
  2. Employees who expect to claim compensation for use of a personal vehicle should annually (normally at the March In-Service meeting) provide the library with a copy of their valid driver’s license and a copy of their valid automobile insurance declaration card showing that they carry public liability coverage. Employees must maintain the minimum coverage limits recommended by the library’s insurance company which may differ from the limits required by the state. Currently, the following limits of liability apply: employees who regularly use their own vehicles for library business must maintain $250,000/$500,000 bodily injury and $100,000 property damage (or $300,000 combined single limit); employees who occasionally use their own vehicles for library business must maintain $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury and $50,000 property damage (or $300,000 combined single limit).
  3. Compensation for use of a personal vehicle will be based upon the submission of evidence of distance traveled. If questions arise about the distance, a computer program such as MapQuest will be consulted.
  4. Mileage should be computed from the Palos Heights Public Library to the destination and from the destination back to the Palos Heights Public Library.
  5. The base rate of compensation will be set each year according to the IRS standard mileage rate for business use of a vehicle.
  6. Penalties for traffic or parking violations will not be reimbursed.
  7. Any tolls and parking costs incurred will be reimbursed.
  8. If employees incur expenses because they were involved in a traffic accident while driving their own vehicle on library business, the Board will reimburse to employees the amount of their insurance deductible, not to exceed $500.00 per occurrence.
  9. Payments made under this policy will be charged to the library’s mileage budget.
  10. The Board will recognize an employee’s right to claim for income tax purposes deductions of amounts spent in the year for traveling, provided the employee meets all the requirements of the Income Tax Act as it pertains to this matter. Employees adopting this situation must provide their supervisor on a quarterly basis with a record of the distances traveled.

5. Review

This policy will be reviewed annually.



Adopted, September 8, 2005