(A) It is the policy of the city to help employees develop or enhance job-related knowledge and skills through workshops, seminars, and the like.
(B) It is the employee’s responsibility for maintaining and upgrading job skills. Each supervisor and employee bears primary responsibility for maintaining individual knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the job, and for upgrading skills necessary to meet technological change or to seek promotion. The city will facilitate those efforts and provide training from time to time.
(C) Employees on leave of absence are not eligible for this benefit.
(D) Out-of-state travel must be approved, in advance, by the Board.
(E) Only course work approved, in advance, by the department head or executive officer, or his or her designee, will be accepted for reimbursement.
(F) Certificate and/or proof of attendance and/or grade are required for reimbursement. Pre-registration and pre-arranged fees may be paid in advance with the executive officer or department head approval.
(G) Only courses that will help develop necessary or useful skills or knowledge relevant to the employee’s current position, or to future responsibilities that are reasonably anticipated, will be approved. Job relevance is determined by the executive officer, his or her designee, and/or the department head.
(H) The intent of approved educational assistance is not afforded the employee for the purpose of obtaining a degree.
(I) Procedure for reimbursement.
(1) After successful completion of a workshop, seminar, and the like, the employee must submit a certificate and/or proof of attendance and/or grades(s) or a certificate of satisfactory performance to the department head or executive officer.
(2) The city will reimburse the employee for registration and tuition, and appropriate fees paid by the employee.
(3) Reimbursement shall be made by special check after all paperwork has been submitted and approved.
(4) Employees, who fail to attend a training event and receive an excused absence from the department head, will be required to reimburse the cost to the city of the training event.
(J) (1) Employees of the Electric Utility, Water Utility, Wastewater Utility, and Stormwater Utility are encouraged to participate in the apprentice training program under the guidelines as approved by the Board.
(2) Note: employees transferred or promoted may be required to have special training and there will be a probationary period. See § 36.038.
(Ord. 2013-7, passed 8-28-2013)