(a) The City shall compensate an employee at the employee's applicable rate of pay for training which the City requires such employee to take on off-duty time and will pay for the necessary books, materials, mileage, tuition, room and board and other necessary expenses, if required, for such training.
(b) The City shall, as a matter of policy, encourage employees to further their education by taking job-related training which is not required by the City. Employees will be reimbursed by the City for such training and for the cost of tuition, room and board, books and course materials on the following conditions:
(1) Prior approval is received from the City in writing.
(2) The course is successfully completed with a grade equivalent of C or better.
(3) Reimbursement will be made upon presentation of paid invoices for reimbursable items.
(4) Payment of wages will be at straight time for all such training which is on regular duty time. No payment of wages shall be made for training which is on off-duty time.
(5) If an employee's service with the City is terminated on the employee's own volition within one year of completion of the course, the employee shall return the City's outlay on a pro rata basis. Such return may be obtained by deduction from the employee's final pay.
(6) The maximum cost to the City for such expenses for schooling shall not exceed the sum of two thousand, five hundred dollars ($2,500) per employee per the calendar year in which the course(s) are scheduled to commence.
Advance payment for non-required training may be permitted under extraordinary circumstances upon the request of the relevant department head and subsequent approval thereof by the appropriate appointing authority.
(c) This section shall be declared to be effective for requests for advance payment received from and after the effective date of this section, notwithstanding that the training which precipitated the same pre-dates the effective date of this section.
(Ord. 99-13. Passed 1-19-99; Ord. 10-18. Passed 3-16-10.)