153.17 EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT.
(a) All permanent full-time employees who have earned an Associate Degree relating to the field of their employment shall be entitled to additional compensation equal to two percent (2%) of their 2010 base pay. All full-time employees who have earned a Bachelor's Degree related to their field of employment shall receive additional compensation equal to four percent (4%) of their 2010 base pay. All full-time employees who have earned a Master's degree relating to the field of their employment shall be entitled to additional compensation equal to six percent (6%) of their 2010 base pay. Upon termination, an employee shall receive a prorated portion of his or her educational benefit. This section shall only apply to employees who are employed by the Municipality as of January 1, 2011.
(b) The Clerk of Council, if he or she earns and maintains a Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) designation and is otherwise employed in a full-time capacity by the Municipality, shall receive an annual stipend of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00).
(c) A full-time Service Department employee who possesses and maintains his or her Commercial Driver's License (CDL) shall receive an annual stipend of seven hundred fifty and 00/100 dollars ($750.00).
(d) The Service Director may, at his or her sole discretion, appoint full-time Service Department employees to obtain and maintain a certification or license as an ISA Certified Arborist, an NRP A Certified Playground Safety Inspector, a Certified Pool Operator and/or an Ohio Commercial Pesticide Applicator. Mayfield Village will cover the cost of the application fees and/or testing fees for the employees obtaining the certification or license. Employees shall receive an annual stipend of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for each certification or license held. A full-time Service Department employee may be approved and hold more than one certification or license.
(e) Any full-time employee not eligible for the stipend for the Paramedic's license or the stipends provided to the F.O.P. who undergoes twenty-four (24) hours of continuing education shall receive an annual continuing education stipend in the amount of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00), subject to offset as described below. The courses taken to be eligible for the
educational stipend will be approved by the appropriate Department Head and/or the Mayor. Fulltime employees will undergo training during regularly scheduled hours whenever practical and the Village will pay for such training. If a full-time employee is required to take training while off-duty, he or she will be compensated at his or her appropriate rate for such training including travel time to and from the training and will be reimbursed for his or her mileage to and from such training at the rate set by the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to Section 153.07 (a) above. The amount of the educational stipend will be reduced by the employee's current base hourly rate multiplied by the required twenty-four (24) hours of continuing education. The educational stipend will not be reduced by any additional hours of continuing education beyond the twenty-four (24)-hour requirement. If a full-time employee undergoes training during regularly scheduled hours, the employee may elect to use vacation, personal and/or comp time hours in place of their regularly scheduled hours. If so elected, those training hours will not be deducted from the continuing education stipend. If a full-time employee undergoes required training while off-duty and elects not to be compensated for those off-duty hours, those training hours will not be deducted from the continuing education stipend. If the Village received reimbursement from a governmental agency for any training hours, those training hours will not be deducted from the continuing education stipend.
(f) The stipends provided for above will be paid to employees and will be issued once a year. Payments will be made after November 1st of each year but no later than the first paycheck in November. If an employee terminates employment before November 1st, all stipends set forth in this section shall be prorated and paid with the employee's final paycheck.
(g) Tuition Reimbursement. All permanent full-time employees shall be eligible for reimbursement of tuition costs, as set forth below, resulting from the employee taking courses from an accredited institution of higher learning, provided that:
(1) They are reasonably related to the employee's employment with the Village, with such relationship to be determined in the Village's sole discretion.
(2) The taking of the course has been approved in advance by the Department Head and the Mayor.
(3) Proof of the grade received and receipt for the tuition are submitted to the Director of Finance within thirty (30) days of completion of the course.
(4) Any employee who leaves the employ of the Village for other employment within two (2) years after reimbursement of tuition costs shall reimburse the Village for said reimbursed tuition costs.
(5) In order to be eligible for reimbursement, the employee must obtain a grade of "C" or better in the course or, in the case of a class taken on a "pass/fail" basis, a "pass" must be obtained.
(6) The amount of tuition reimbursed shall be limited to the amount of the then current per credit hour cost charged by the institution the employee attends, not in any event to exceed the rate charged by Cleveland State University at the time of the employee's reimbursement request.
(Ord. 2023-18. Passed 12-4-23.)