Facilities Services/Vehicles summer and break work hours are 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. During the academic year the office will be open from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Vehicle keys for your reserved state vehicle with evening, weekend or early morning departure should be picked up one half hour prior to office hour closing.

 

 

Helen Walters 
Wiecking Center WC358

Facilities Services, Vehicles Coordinator/Office Manager
Phone: 389-5649/Fax: 389-1092
helen.walters@mnsu.edu

 

 

Facilities Services is committed to serving the transportation needs of University employees and students for state purposes.  Vehicle reservations are processed by Helen Walters and skilled student workers trained to provide the best service possible.

Our university fleet has 37 passenger fleet vehicles consisting of sedans, seven passenger minivans and a twelve passenger van. An assortment of additional vehicles are utilized for our maintenance staff and departments for state purposes. The vehicles are usually internally maintained at our full service garage by Robert Arndt (lead automotive mechanic), Mike Hirmer and Mike Mullin (automotive mechanics), they receive additional assistance for vehicle detailing from student workers.

Personal Mileage Reimbursement Rates

Minnesota State University, Mankato follows the IRS standard mileage reimbursement rate for business miles.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced an increase in the standard mileage reimbursement rate for business miles. The rate has been adopted for use by state employees and is effective beginning Jan. 1, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2013. Mileage rates are used to calculate reimbursements to employees that use their personal vehicle for university business trips. Employees should note that the university actually utilizes two reimbursement rates. The IRS standard mileage reimbursement rate (56.5 cents) is used when a state owned vehicle is not available. A lesser rate (49.5 cents) is used when a state vehicle is declined or not requested by the employee.

Employees are asked to use the new mileage reimbursement rates below when completing employee expense forms for trips taken between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013.New Rates (Effective January 1, 2013)

State Owned Vehicle Not Available (IRS Standard): 56.5 Cents per Mile
State Owned Vehicle Declined or Not Requested: 49.5 Cents per Mile

Departments should be aware of possible increased cost when using personal vehicles when personnel request mileage reimbursement through the department. (Calculations below represent the mileage rate when a state owned vehicle is declined and a personal vehicle is utilized, effective January 1, 2013)

Ex. Driving a personal vehicle to the Twin Cities when a state vehicle is available: Reimbursement rate of 49.5 cents per mile x 170 (approximate round trip mileage)= $84.15 cost to the university department. VS.  utilizing a state owned sedan to the cities is $45 (per day) cost to the university department.  This would be a $39.15 savings to the university department for just one trip.

An additional concern is that Minnesota is a no-fault vehicle accident state.  

If there would be an accident in your personal vehicle while on state business, the accident claim would follow the owner of the vehicle you were driving. 

If you would be in an accident in a state owned vehicle the accident claim goes to the State of Minnesota (owner of the vehicle).

[PDF] Guidelines on State Vehicles and Driving Personal Vehicles on State Business (120 KiB)

[PDF] http://www.mnscu.edu/board/procedure/5-19p3.pdf (192 KiB) 

http://www.mnscu.edu/board/procedure/519p3.html 

Procedure 5.19.3 Travel Management

for Board Policy 5.19

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Part 1. Authority. Board Policy 7.1, Authority, delegates to the chancellor authority to develop a system procedure on travel management.

Part 2. Scope and Responsibility. This procedure applies to all employees of the colleges, universities, the Office of the Chancellor; the Board of Trustees; and any other individuals, including students, authorized to travel or be reimbursed for allowable expenses in conducting authorized Minnesota State Colleges and Universities business. System employees, trustees, or other individuals authorized to travel, including students, are responsible for complying with this procedure and for the accurate completion of all required forms, including the Employee Expense Report. Students eligible for reimbursement shall be compensated in accordance with local student travel rates or, in the absence of local student travel rates, with the Commissioner's Plan.

For purposes of this procedure, unless otherwise specified, the term "traveler" shall refer to all employees of the colleges, universities, and Office of the Chancellor; Board of Trustees; and any other individuals, including students, authorized to travel.

Part 3. Prior Approval.

1. All in-state travel and the incurrence of related expenses must receive oral prior approval and all out-of-state travel requires written prior approval by an employee who has delegated authority to approve out-of-state travel. Written authorizations are retained locally for audit purposes.
2. Travel may be authorized travel when it can be reasonably determined that:
   a. The travel is primarily for the benefit of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and is related to the effective conduct of business, including the promotion of interstate cooperation;
   b. The cost of the travel and absence from work will be offset by benefits accruing to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, including the professional advancement of an employee; and
   c. The travel relates to activities which do not have as their purpose the advancement of a political party, a political candidate, or a religious denomination.
3. Exception. Travel that has not received prior authorization is allowed only in emergency situations.

Part 4. Spouse/Companion Travel. Travel expenses will not be reimbursed if incurred by a spouse or other individual accompanying traveler on business unless:

• the spouse/companion is a state employee and there is a bona fide business purpose requiring his or her attendance; and
• such expenses are provided for in collective bargaining agreements or compensation plans.

A spouse or other individual may accompany a traveler, including students, on a business trip at the traveler's expense. However, personal guests, including spouses, are not allowed to travel in a state-owned, rented, or leased vehicle.

Part 5. Maximum Use of Financial Resources. Travel costs should take into consideration any financial decisions made such as:

• Traveler leaving a day early if a lower airfare is available and the airfare offsets costs of additional hotel or food.
• Traveler staying over a weekend at the traveler's own expense to obtain lower airfare. Additional expenses may be paid related to the reduced airfare providing the expenses do not exceed the amount saved on the lower airfare.
• Other unusual situations which increase or decrease the trip costs.
• Travel is being paid for by an outside organization and is in compliance with ethics requirements in accordance with Minnesota Statutes section 43A.38, Code of Ethics for Employees in the Executive Branch, and Minnesota Statutes section 10A.071, Certain Gifts by Lobbyists and Principals Prohibited. If a traveler is reimbursed by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for this travel and is also reimbursed for the same travel expense by an outside organization, the traveler must endorse the outside reimbursement check over to the college, university, or Office of the Chancellor. A traveler may be reimbursed by an outside organization for travel or meals expenses, not to exceed actual expenses incurred, which are not reimbursed by the state and which have been approved in advance by the appointing authority as part of the work assignment.
• Traveler elects to drive a personal vehicle rather than travel by commercial airliner.  Reimbursement for personal vehicle use in lieu of airfare is at the lower reimbursement rate and shall not exceed the lowest round-trip coach airfare.

Forms and Resources

• Winter Weather Advisory
• Tips for Van Drivers (broken link) (PDF)
• Fleet Safety Standards for Towing Trailers (broken link) (PDF)

• Minnesota State Vehicle Accident Report: [PDF] vehicles/minnesota_motor_vehicle_accident_report.pdf (190 KiB) (Accident Report for state owned or leased vehicles and equipment)  Please print out, complete, sign and submit the report to Helen Walters, Facilities Services, WC358. Questions? Call Helen at 389-5649.

State of Minnesota Supplemental Vehicle Rental Contract. 

Minnesota State University, Mankato has the opportunity to offer state owned vehicles for state travel needs by administration, faculty and staff who are on University business. Circumstances may arise when state vehicles are not available or are not authorized for usage, see policies and procedures section. The State of Minnesota has a supplemental contract available with Enterprise vehicle rental when our state vehicles are not available for our faculty and staff or if you have a guest who is not a Minnesota State University, Mankato employee. . 

Out of State long distance trips (greater than 1,000 miles round trip) will be requested to utilize the Enterprise Rent-A-Car contract.  Additional details on long distance driving of state vehicles are available in our policies and procedures section of our website. 

Beginning July 1, 2011, Enterprise Rent-A-Car will accept the Minnesota State University, Mankato department assigned Wells Fargo Credit Card for University approved travel with a Enterprise rental and for the purchase of fuel for the Enterprise vehicle for faculty, staff and administration.  There are two contracts listed below that are able to be utilized for University approved travel.  The following link offers general information on Enterprise Rent-A-Car procedures:    [PDF] vehicles/msu_vs_enterprise_fy13pdf.pdf (140 KiB)

The State of Minnesota has an opportunity to utilize a state contract with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, contract release number V-33(5).  This supplemental contract must be used by state agencies faculty, staff and administration for a vehicle rental that is "initiated" in the State of Minnesota or other locations as listed on the contract release while on state business.

[PDF] vehicles/v-33_5_2013.pdf (126 KiB) This is the Materials Management Division contract for Vehicle Rental for “local service” – short and long term rentals. 

Please review the later part of the contract : 

ENTERPRISE "QUICKSTART" PROGRAM - 8-13-10
If a need arises where the traveler must pick up the Enterprise rental vehicle prior to the start of business travel, the Enterprise "Quickstart Program" allows for some cost reduction rather than paying a full day's rental fee. 

Upon request, Enterprise will charge a $10.00 per rental "Quickstart" fee (which will show on the invoice as an "other" fee) for vehicles that are made available after 4:00 PM and the charges are suspended until the time of departure that evening or the following morning, no later than the time at which that Enterprise rental location opens.

Enterprise will charge a $30.00 per rental "Quickstart" fee (which will show on the invoice as an "other" fee) available on Friday after 4:00 PM or a $20.00 per rental "Quickstart" fee available Saturday morning without rental charges being started until Monday morning, no later than the time at which that Enterprise rental location opens.

Any rentals from Enterprise may only be used for State business as per the terms and conditions of the Contract.

[PDF] vehicles/v-38_5_2013.pdf (83 KiB) This is the Materials Management Division contract for the national service for vehicle rental that initiate outside of the State of Minnesota - short term rentals only.

Due to the high liability exposure for the services on the contract, state agenices are required to use the contract unless an exception is granted by the AMS (Acquisition Management Specialist) listed on the state contract.

When using this State of Minnesota contract, MnSCU and CPV members must comply with the contract terms and conditions and may not deviate from the specifications, terms and conditions as outlined.

Purchasers should thoroughly review the contract release - only the goods and services that are identified in the contract may be purchased through the contract.  You may also contact, Helen Walters, Facilities Services, WC358, 389-5649 for contract verifcation.

• 15 passenger vans are not permitted to be rented.
• Do not use a personal 15 passenger van or camper to transport other employees or students on MnSCU business.

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Not Utilizing Your State Vehicle after a reservation - Cancel It!

24 hour cancellation of a state vehicle is requested.  Vehicles that are reserved but not used, nor cancelled, may be charged up to the full rate for requested rental dates. 9/11/06

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E85 Stations in Mankato

There are locations in Mankato where you may fill the state vehicles with E85 fuel.  Holiday Station, 1901 Adams St. and the Kwik Trip on Hwy 169.  For statewide E85 fuel station locations click  here.