HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity of Tamarac Resolution R-2000-098Temp. Reso. # 8969 - March 31, 2000
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CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA
RESOLUTION NO. R-2000-Iv
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA, AUTHORIZING THE
APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO APPROVE AND
IMPLEMENT THE EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM;
PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; PROVIDING FOR
SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
WHEREAS, the Enhancement of the City's Management Practices is one of the
major themes of the City of Tamarac's Strategic Plan, Tamarac 2000; and
WHEREAS, developing and implementing strategies for attracting and retaining a
talented workforce is a component of Enhancing the City's Management Practices, and
WHEREAS, improving employee benefits, such as educational incentives,
supports the City's efforts to Enhance the City's Management Practices by attracting
and retaining a talented workforce through the establishment of a more competitive and
responsive benefits program, and
WHEREAS, the Education Assistance Program will replace the existing
Continuing Education Plans for "full-time/regular" general employees (Executive,
Managerial/Professional, and Administrative) and "full-time/regular" employees covered
by the collective bargaining agreement between the City and the Federation of Public
Employees (FPE); and
WHEREAS, the Educational Assistance Program does not apply to firefighters
covered under Article 25, Education, in the collective bargaining agreement between the
City and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF); and
Temp. Reso. # 8969 - March 31, 2000
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WHEREAS, the Education Assistance Program will increase the tuition
reimbursement benefits currently available to eligible City employees; and
and
WHEREAS, available funds exist in the General Fund Budget for said purpose;
WHEREAS, the reimbursement benefits of the Education Assistance Program
are based on fiscal year expenditures; and
WHEREAS, the Education Assistance Program will be made effective as of the
beginning of the current fiscal year starting October 1, 1999; and
WHEREAS, the Education Assistance Program encourages and supports the
continued professional development of City employees; and
WHEREAS, the Education Assistance Program has been designed to assist City
employees in achieving educational goals that are mutually beneficial to the City and
the employees; and
WHEREAS, it is the recommendation of the City Manager and the Director of
Personnel to approve and implement the Education Assistance Program; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission of the City of Tamarac, Florida, deems it to be
in the best interest of the citizens and residents of the City of Tamarac to approve and
implement the Education Assistance Program.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA:
Section 1: The foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are hereby ratified and confirmed
as being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this Resolution.
Temp. Reso. # 8969 - March 31, 2000
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Section 2: The appropriate City Officials are hereby authorized to approve and
implement the Education Assistance Program (attached hereto as Exhibit A).
Section 3: All resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict herewith are hereby
repealed to the extent of such conflict.
Section 4: If any clause, section, other part or application of this Resolution is
held by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or invalid, in part or
application, it shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions or applications of this
Resolution.
Section 5: This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage
and adoption.
PASSED, ADOPTED AND APPROVED this day of 0, 2000Ig
ATTEST:
MARION SWENSON,
INTERIM CITY CLERK
REBY CERTIFY that I ha
owed this RESOLUTIO as to
i
M CHELL S. I
CITY ATTORN
f
JOE CHREIBER
MAYOR
RECORD OF COMMISSION
MAYOR SCHREIBER -
DIST 1: COMM. PORTNER_
DIST 2: COMM. MISHKIN „,,,,,
DIST 3: COMM. SULTANOF.
DIST 4: VIM ROBERTS
Exhibit A — Temp. Reso. No. 8969
L.
Education Assistance Program
I. Purpose:
To establish guidelines and procedures for the implementation and
administration of the City's Education Assistance Program.
Through the provision of limited financial assistance, it is the City's
intent to encourage and support the continued professional
development of its employees. The program has been designed to
assist employees in achieving educational goals that are beneficial
to the City, as well as the individual employee. Furthermore, the
benefits provided through the Education Assistance Program will
support the City's continued efforts to attract and retain the most
qualified employees.
II. Policy:
A. Eligibility
1. All "full-time/regular" general employees who have successfully
completed their probationary period are eligible for participation
in the City's Education Assistance Program. Firefighters
covered under Article 25, Education, in the collective bargaining
agreement between the City and IAFF shall not be eligible for
this program.
2. The employee must take the course(s) during non-scheduled
work hours. An employee's work schedule will not be reduced
as a result of taking educational or training courses approved
under this policy.
3. Course projects and assignments must be completed during
non-scheduled work hours.
4. Employees currently receiving tuition reimbursement from
another funding source, such as scholarships or Federal/State
grants, are not eligible to receive educational assistance from
the City.
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Exhibit A — Temp. Reso. No. 8969
Education Assistance Program
B. Covered Courses and Programs
1. The Education Assistance Program pertains to training and
educational courses taken voluntarily by the employee.
Courses or training that the employee is required to attend by
the City will not be funded through this program. This program
is not meant to apply to, or replace existing funding mechanisms
for, those departmental certifications and trainings that are
already being subsidized by the City.
2. Reimbursement for educational expenses will be considered for
courses taken at accredited educational institutions, such as
public or private colleges, community colleges, universities,
graduate schools, trade/vocational schools, or professional
institutions.
3. An eligible training or educational course is one that, in the
judgment of the Department Director and the City Manager or
designee, either directly relates to the employee's current
position, or a similar City position, or to a higher level position
within the City to which the employee could reasonably aspire
through promotion.
4. Courses that are not directly related to an employee's current
position but are a requirement of a degree program, including
an Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree or
Doctoral Degree Program, may be eligible for reimbursement if
the degree being sought relates to employment with the City as
defined in Section B3.
C. Application Process
1. An eligible employee who wishes to participate in the Education
Assistance Program will need to complete a Course/Program
Pre -Approval Form. The employee must attach a copy of the
course description(s), as well as a brief statement indicating
how the educational or training course(s) relates to their
employment with the City. The employee's statement should
also address how the course(s) will positively impact their job
performance.
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Exhibit A — Temp. Reso. No. 8969
Education Assistance Program
2. It is the employee's responsibility to submit the completed form
and the required attachments to their immediate supervisor, for
the Department Director's approval, at least thirty (30) days prior
to the start of the course but no more than ninety (90) days
before the start of the course.
3. If the employee fails to provide all of the required information to
their immediate supervisor by the above referenced deadline,
education assistance for the course or training may be denied.
4. The Department Director will review the request for education
assistance and indicate their approval or denial on the Pre -
Approval Form. The Director's decision to approve or
disapprove the course/training will be based on the program's
eligibility criteria, as well as the availability of funds.
5. If the Department Director approves education assistance for
the requested course(s) or training program(s), the Pre -
Approval Form and attachments will be forwarded to the City
Manager or designee for final approval or denial.
6. The employee will be notified of all approved and denied
courses/training programs prior to the course start date.
D. Funding
1. Each fiscal year, the City will allocate a set funding amount for
the Education Assistance Program.
2. Employee requests, which meet all of the eligibility criteria of the
program, will be approved on a first -come — first -served basis
according to the availability of funds.
3. Funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year will not be carried
forward to the next fiscal year.
E. Reimbursement Process/Covered Costs
1. For undergraduate courses, the City will reimburse up to a
maximum of twenty-one (21) credit hours per eligible employee,
not to exceed $1,600, per fiscal year.
2. For graduate courses, the City will reimburse up to a maximum
of twenty-one (21) credit hours per eligible employee, not to
exceed $3,100, per fiscal year.
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Exhibit A — Temp. Reso. No. 8969
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Education Assistance Program
3. Tuition for approved training programs and/or professional
certifications will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $1,000 per
eligible employee, per fiscal year.
4. An employee will only be able to receive the maximum
reimbursable amount from one (1) of the above three (3)
categories each fiscal year. For example, an employee cannot
receive $1,600 in reimbursement for undergraduate course work
and at the same time receive an additional $1,000
reimbursement for training programs in any one (1) fiscal year.
The employee has the choice of doing one or the other, but not
both.
5. The employee can apply the education assistance benefits
towards the cost of the course(s), the registration fee and the
charge for semester hours. The City shall not pay for textbooks,
late registration charges, miscellaneous supplies, travel time or
expenses, the cost of transcripts or other expenses, unless such
costs are included in the tuition fees for an accelerated
undergraduate or graduate degree program.
6. If an employee fails to attain a grade of "C" or better for
undergraduate and graduate courses, a grade of "pass" in a
pass/fail course, or a certificate of course completion in a
certification program, the City will not be responsible for the
tuition reimbursement.
7. If an employee fails to successfully complete the course,
withdraws from the course, or fails to submit the required
documentation within the timeframe stated below, the City will
not be responsible for the tuition reimbursement.
8. To receive the tuition reimbursement payment for the approved
course/training the employee must submit an itemized receipt of
the tuition costs, along with evidence of the satisfactory
completion of the course/training, to the City within sixty (60)
days of completing the course.
9. All tuition reimbursements an employee receives from the City
will be subject to taxation per applicable laws.
C!
Exhibit A — Temp. Reso. No. 8969
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Education Assistance Program
F. Termination
Through the provision of education assistance, the City is making
an investment in its employees. Therefore, if an employee resigns
from the City within two (2) years of receiving tuition
reimbursement, the employee is responsible for repaying the cost
of the tuition reimbursement received during the two (2) years
preceding their separation from the City. The employee, through
his/her participation in the Education Assistance Program,
authorizes the City to deduct the repayment amount, if applicable,
from wages for hours worked, leave or any other funds due the
employee at the time of resignation.
G. Employee Agreement
Any employee wishing to participate in the Education Assistance
Program must sign a formal agreement stating that he/she
understands and agrees with all of the terms and conditions of the
Education Assistance Policy.
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