BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

County of Linn, Iowa

Directive Number:
CELLULAR TELEPHONE USAGE POLICY

Approval Date: Effective Date: Revision No: Policy Section & Number:

7/16/2008 Continuous 7 PM-001

Reference: BOS Minutes: 7/14/2008 Distribution:
03/28/2007, 8/31/2005, 7/18/02, 11/07/2001 Intranet
09/11/2001, 12/15/1999

I. PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy is to define guidelines for the initial approval, continued
use, and procedure for processing billings for cellular telephone usage by County
employees.
II. SCOPE:
This policy applies to elected officials, deputies and all other employees of Linn
County.

III. PROCEDURES:
A. USE OF CELLULAR PHONES
1. Authorized Use.
Employees may use cellular phones to enhance the mission, goals
and objectives of Linn County. Use of this resource is subject to
the following:
a. Employees are encouraged not to make cellular calls from a
facility where a no cost telephone line is available.
b. Telephone directories should be used whenever possible,
avoiding calls to Directory Assistance;
c. Conversations requiring privacy or security should not be
made on cellular phones.
d. Use of cellular equipment shall be in accordance with the
County’s Electronic Media Policy.

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 2. Unauthorized Use.
Communication, which, if accomplished by any other media, would
be considered inappropriate or unacceptable in the workplace, is
prohibited.
B. REQUESTS FOR CELLULAR SERVICE
1. Authorization. Requests for cellular telecommunications equipment
and services must be authorized by the department head and meet
at least one of the following criteria:
a. The employee performs duties that involve emergency
operations, response, or back up.
b. Duties performed necessitate frequent absences from the
employee’s work station, or the employee routinely works in
the field and requires immediate telephone service to
perform job;
c. High level of responsibility in job position – direct
responsibility for the operation or maintenance of critical
services;
2. Funding. Department heads will ensure sufficient funding in the
budget for the cost of cellular service prior to authorization.
3. Service Agreement. The department head or their representative
should contact the carrier to arrange for the employee to receive
cellular service. A monthly detailed statement must be part of the
service agreement.
a. The “anytime” minutes of the monthly service plan should be
sufficient but not excessive, to meet the employee work
needs.

C. PROCEDURE FOR PROCESSING CLAIMS

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1. Monthly Statement.
a. Fixed Rate Plan: Linn County will generally pay for the
expense associated with the employee’s authorized monthly
plan, including;
(1) Monthly service plan,
(2) Business related roaming charges,
(3) Associated taxes, fees, or governmental charges for
which Linn County is not exempt,

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 (4) Business related additional services such as 411
calls, phone insurance, Caller ID, Voice Mail,
messaging, web services, etc.
(5) Equipment expenses (original or replacement)
associated with the authorized cellular plan including
cellular phone, battery, carrier, headset, etc. This
may also include installation and equipment cost
associated with mobile kits installed in county
vehicles.
b. In the event that the monthly bill exceeds the above, the
employee shall either:
(1) Reimburse/pay the amount that exceeds costs
covered by C, 1, a, or;
(2) Identify and reimburse/pay Linn County for expenses
related to personal calls, including associated
roaming charges.
(3) The employee’s check for payment/reimbursement
shall be attached to the claim when submitted to the
Auditor’s office.
c. Per Minute Plan: The employee shall make arrangements
with his/her supervisor or department head for
reimbursement of expenses related to personal usage billed
to the employee’s county issued cellular phone.
2. Use of Personal Cellular Telephones. Linn County employees
incurring expenses for the use of their personal cellular telephone
in conducting county business may, with the prior written
authorization allowing an employee to use a private cellular phone
for business use, prepare a claim for reimbursement with an
attached detailed billing from their carrier with those calls noted.
Reimbursement will be at the current rate of the “per minute” plan. .
3. Reimbursement Rate. Personal usage shall be reimbursed at the
current rate of the “per minute” plan as contracted by the Linn
County Purchasing Department or as otherwise set by the Board of
Supervisors.

D. CELLULAR PHONE ALLOWANCE

1. Not withstanding earlier provisions, an employee may receive a

cellular usage allowance not to exceed the cost of the plan that
would have been provided by the county as defined in Section III
(B).
2. An employee seeking a cellular allowance shall submit a
“Department Authorization for Business Use of Employee’s

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 Personal Wireless Communication” form to their department
head/supervisor for approval.

a. The department head/supervisor shall determine the monthly

allowance and enter the amount on the form. The form will
be submitted to the Auditor’s Office.
b. The monthly allowance shall be in multiples of $10.00, not to
exceed $40.00.
c. The monthly cell phone allowance shall not exceed the
employee’s monthly cell phone plan or the monthly charge
for a shared plan containing the employee’s cellular phone
number.
3. The cellular allowance shall be paid to the employee after
documentation has been submitted that a personal cellular plan is
in effect and a cost incurred or obligated.
a. Documentation shall be in the form of the 1st page of the
cellular bill or that page which contains the monthly charge
information.
4. The cellular allowance amount should be reviewed no less
frequently than annually for adjustment of the reimbursement.
5. When an allowance is provided, the County will not pay for
equipment such as phone, batteries, hands free equipment, etc.
6. The employee shall obtain cellular service from a provider that has
adequate coverage for the work area of the employee. Repeated
complaints of no coverage may result in cancellation of the
allowance.

E. DATA SERVICE ALLOWANCE

In addition to the “Cellular Phone Allowance” provided in “D”, an employee may

receive an allowance for cellular data service by following the process outlined in
Section D.

F. SAFETY

1. Except for personnel who operate emergency equipment, use of a

cellular telephone while operating a vehicle or mobile equipment is
strongly discouraged, except in the case of emergency. This
provision applies whether the cellular telephone is handheld or
hands free. Use of a cellular telephone includes activating or
deactivating the phone, dialing, answering, conversing and sending
or receiving, text or voice messages.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have read and understand the policy and rules on acceptable use of cellular equipment
and service stated above.
Monthly statements of county provided cellular phones are public information and are
therefore available to the public upon request. Personal cellular phone billings turned in
with claims for reimbursement are public information.
By my use of said equipment, I hereby consent to allow representatives of Linn County to
review the use of my cellular equipment and service to ensure that such use is consistent
with Linn County’s policies and procedures. I am aware that any violation of the Cellular
Telephone policy may subject me to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge
from employment.

Signature Date

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 LINN COUNTY
DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZATION
FOR
CELLULAR PHONE ALLOWANCE
DATA SERVICE ALLOWANCE

Department:

Employee Name: Date:

Employee’s Personal Cell Phone Number:

Base Monthly Plan Amount: Phone $

Data $

Department Contact:

Phone No.:

As the elected official, department head or supervisor for the above employee, I verify that the
employee listed above is required, due to legitimate business need, to maintain wireless
communication to conduct official Linn County business. I hereby authorize the employee listed
above to use his/her personal cellular phone for conducting official Linn County business. The
County will pay the employee a cellular phone allowance for using his/her personal cellular
phone in the amount of $ per month and/or data service allowance in the amount of
$ per month to be issued through the payroll system.

Approval:

Elected Official/Dept. Head/Supervisor

Title Date

I acknowledge that cellular phone allowance and/or data service allowance identified above is
taxable for IRS purposes. I also acknowledge that I must submit the first page of my monthly
statement no less frequently than quarterly to receive reimbursement.

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Employee Signature