(A) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ADMINISTRATOR. The Kentucky League of Cities City Officials Training Center.
EXCESS HOURS. Credit hours earned beyond 15 during a single calendar year.
QUALIFYING COURSE. Any training, seminar, educational or learning event that provides instruction or information that is relevant to the duties and functions of city government and city officials and that has been approved by the Administrator.
TRAINING UNIT. Fifteen clock hours of attendance or participation in qualifying courses during a calendar year.
(B) Adoption of a city officials training program; application. In accordance with House Bill 119 of the 2011 General Assembly, as codified in KRS Ch. 64, the city hereby adopts and establishes a City Officials Training Program to make available incentive payments as specified by this section to the elected city officials, including the Mayor, all members of the City Council, City Clerk, Public Works Director, Chief of Police and Chief of the Fire Department for obtaining education and training as required under the provisions of this section.
(C) Incentive payment amount; required training participation.
(1) Each city official eligible for participation in the City Officials Training Program shall receive training incentive payments of $500 for completion of each training unit during his or her continuous service as a city official within the city. The city official shall only receive training incentive payments for a maximum of four training units. The city official shall not be awarded more than one training unit per calendar year.
(2) The city official may continue to receive training incentive payments for four training units in each calendar year following the fourth year; provided that, the officer continues to earn a training unit each subsequent calendar year.
(3) The failure of a city official to obtain a training unit during any calendar year shall disqualify the officer from receiving any training incentive payments for the calendar year and the city official shall lose any previously accumulated training units earned during previous calendar years.
(4) Any city official earning excess hours during a calendar year shall be permitted to carry forward a maximum of ten hours to apply to the earning of a training unit in the following calendar year.
(5) Training incentive payments shall be made to a city official presenting proof of completion of a training unit for a calendar year within 60 days of the conclusion of the calendar year.
(D) Policy regarding payment or reimbursement for training courses. Subject to the constraints and the appropriations established by the city’s annual budget, the city shall consider paying the cost of attendance or participation in advance of a city official’s attendance or participation in the qualifying course if proper application is made to the Mayor (or other designated official responsible for budget administration). Alternatively, and subject the constraints and appropriations established by the city’s annual budget, the city shall consider reimbursing a city official for the cost of attendance or participation in a qualifying course upon presentation of proof to the Mayor (or other designated official responsible for budget administration) that the official has received credit for the course.
(E) Administration of City Officials Training Program.
(1) The City Officials Training Program shall be administered by the State League of Cities City Officials Training Center, which shall be responsible for approving courses as qualifying under the terms of this section, shall maintain records of attendance and participation, and shall notify the city when a city official earns a training unit and the number of training units earned by a city official during his or her continuous service as a city official within the city.
(2) The Administrator shall evaluate and approve courses as qualifying for credit based on the relation of the course to the operation of city government. In addition to other courses which may be approved as qualifying courses by the Administrator, courses that provide instruction on the statutory duties of cities and city officials, intergovernmental relationships, municipal finance and budgeting, municipal taxation, ethics, open records, open meetings, economic development or municipal police powers shall be approved as qualifying courses under this section. The Administrator shall require the submission.
(F) Status of incentive payments.
(1) Training incentive payments do not constitute wages under KRS Ch. 337, creditable compensation under the County Employees Retirement System under KRS Ch. 78, or compensation for the purposes of setting maximum compensation or modification of compensation under KRS Ch. 83A, and may be repealed or modified by the city at any time.
(2) The training incentive payment amount established in this section shall not be adjusted by any index reporting changes to consumer prices or any other method to account for inflation.
(3) A city official shall submit proof of attendance or participation in a qualifying course to the Administrator. A city official shall submit the course name, date, location, name of the instructor or provider and sufficient proof of attendance or participation in the qualifying course before the Administrator shall award credit. The Administrator shall not award credit to a city official for attendance or participation in a qualifying course that is not, in the Administrator’s opinion, substantially different from another course the city official attended or participated in during the same calendar year.
(4) The Administrator shall maintain records that reflect each of the courses and hours completed by the city official and shall provide it to each city official upon request. The Administrator shall, within 30 days of the close of the calendar year, provide written or electronic certification to each participating city official of completed courses and hours, and shall, if applicable, certify the completion of a training unit and total number of accumulated training units. Upon receipt, a city official shall present a copy of the certification of the completion of the training unit and the total accumulated training units to the city in order to receive his or her training incentive payments.
(G) Severability. Each section and each provision of each section of this section is severable, and if any provision, section, division, sentence or part thereof, or the application thereof to any person licensee, class or group, is held by a court of law to be unconstitutional or invalid for any reason, such holding shall not affect or impair the remainder of this section, it being the legislative intent to ordain and enact each provision, section, division, sentence and part thereof, separately and independently of the rest of the course or conference agenda, curriculum, name of the provider and other course materials to determine whether a course should be approved as a qualifying course.
(Ord. 11-10-10, passed 11-14-2011)