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G-06-08-24-13A1 - 8/24/2006ORDINANCE NO. v -0140-08')4- /3 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 8.05 OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL, CONCERNING THE EDUCATION ASSISTANCE AND REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM; AND PROVIDING FOR A SAVINGS CLAUSE AND REPEALING CONFLICTING ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROUND ROCK, TEXAS: I. That Section 8.05 of the Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual of the City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended to read as follows: 8.05 EDUCATION ASSISTANCE / REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM PURPOSE To provide guidelines for the City's Education Assistance/Reimbursement Program. POLICY The Education Assistance/Reimbursement Program in accordance with the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, amending Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code, is intended to provide financial assistance to employees who are seeking education and/or certification for career and/or personal development and who are taking for -credit courses or certifications through an academic institution. Courses taken through this program are not required to be job-related Employees should contact the Human Resources Department to determine if a certification is covered under the Education Assistance/Reimbursement Program. The Education Assistance /Reimbursement Program is not intended to provide assistance for staff development training, job required certificates, or continuing professional education. While these are important functions that may support career development, these training activities are viewed as the responsibility of the employing department, the individual, or both. The Human Resources Department administers the program for all City employees. The City will pay/reimburse up to $2,000 for tuition and required, non- refundable fees per fiscal year for approved courses (the "Annual Maximum Reimbursement"). Examples of fees that are reimbursable include building use fees, activity fees, and lab fees. @PFDesktop\::ODMA/WORLDOX/O:/wdox/ORDINANC/060824A1.WPD/SC1 Program participants will be reimbursed based upon the actual tuition and fee schedule of the school they attend unless the fee schedule exceeds that of Texas State University, in which case reimbursement will be calculated at the equivalent rate of Texas State University. Texas State University tuition and fees will be calculated at the in-state, on or off -campus rate. Cost of living expenses, books, equipment, materials, travel, parking, and non -required fees are not reimbursable. ELIGIBILITY Course and Certification Requirements • Courses must be offered at a school or institution that is approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) or nationally recognized boards of accreditation. • Courses must be offered on a for -grade basis. The student may elect to take the course "pass/fail" as long as the course may be taken for a grade. • Professional certifications sought must be received from an accredited school or institution. These certifications must be obtained in conjunction with a class provided by an accredited school or institution. A minimum grade of at least a "C" and/or certification is required in order to be eligible for reimbursement. Employee Eligibility • Full-time, regular employees who have successfully completed their introductory period of six months with the City prior to the beginning of the semester for which they are enrolling are eligible for education assistance/reimbursement. • No employee under disciplinary probation or suspension at the time of application or prior to the beginning of the semester for which they are enrolling will be eligible. TERMS AND The following terms and conditions apply to the City's Education CONDITIONS Assistance/Reimbursement Program: • Funds must first be approved by the City Council and will then be distributed on a first-come, first -serve basis. • Employees who receive the education assistance payment prior to completion of the course or certification and who do not earn at least a grade of "C" for undergraduate courses and at least a "B" for graduate courses (or "pass" if taken as pass/fail) will be required to refund the city for all Education Assistance payments received. This amount will be deducted from the employee's paycheck unless other arrangements are made. 2 • Employees receiving education assistance funds are required to continue employment with the City for two years from the start of the classes related to the reimbursement. With each new reimbursement approved, a new two-year employment commitment begins. • In the event that the employee resigns employment or is terminated prior to the fulfillment of the two-year employment requirement, the employee will be responsible for the full reimbursement of the assistance amount awarded. This amount will be deducted from the employee's final paycheck. In the event that the employee's final paycheck will not cover the full reimbursement of the assistance amount awarded, the employee and the City will enter into a repayment schedule agreement. SUBMITTING The following steps should be followed when submitting an application for APPLICATIONS education assistance/reimbursement: • Applications for Education Assistance Payment/Reimbursement may be obtained from the City's Intranet Portal. • Applications should be given to the employee's supervisor and Division Manager or Department Director for review and approval. In the event an application is not approved within the department, employees should submit the Education Assistance application along with information pertaining to the requested courses to Human Resources for review by the Education Assistance Task Force. • Employees should submit their approved application for reimbursement to Human Resource up to 30 days prior to the start of the class, but no later than 5 business days after the class begins. Requests received late will not be processed. • The Human Resources Department will notify the employee of approval or denial of the application within (10) business days from the date of receipt. GRADE The grade required for reimbursement is based on the following scale. REQUIREMENT • Employees attending Texas State University and Austin Community College (ACC) who are awarded a grade of C or better for undergraduate level courses or a B or better for graduate level courses will be reimbursed 100% for eligible tuition and fees. • Employees attending classes through schools/universities not listed above will follow the scaled reimbursement based on the awarded grade: - Grade A qualifies for 100% of eligible reimbursement - Grade B qualifies for 90% of eligible reimbursement - Grade C qualifies for 80% of eligible reimbursement for Undergraduate classes. No reimbursement for Graduate classes. - Grade D or F will not be reimbursed. 3 REQUESTS FOR REIMBURSEMENT Below is the process for requesting an education assistance reimbursement or advancement, when applying for the City's Education Assistance/Reimbursement Program: • If attending Texas State University or Austin Community College (ACC), employees may elect to participate in 3 rd party billing or sponsorship billing, which allows the employee to enroll without paying up -front for the school. • Employees attending classes through schools/universities not listed above will be reimbursed for the tuition and fees after successful course completion. Once the course has been completed, the employee will submit the information provided below. • An education assistance payment may be paid to the employee prior to the course start date. The appropriate HR staff will evaluate each advance payment request on a case-by-case basis. Employees requesting payment advance must do so in writing. The option for advanced payment should be limited to special, extenuating circumstances. When the course has been completed, the employee will be required to submit all the pertinent information for verification, as provided below. • Upon completion of the class or certification, the employee is required to provide Human Resources proof of course/certification completion, verification of grade and/or certification obtained, plus payment receipts associated with any applicable fees pertaining to the course. This information must be received within six (6) weeks after course completion. • Upon Human Resources' receipt of the above information, the Human Resources Department will submit a check request to Accounts Payable. If the employee does not receive a check the Friday following submission of the check request or within seven (7) business days, the employee may contact the Human Resources Department for assistance. SPECIAL Certain specific provisions apply to the City's Education PROVISIONS Assistance/Reimbursement Program. • Employees who leave City service, except for involuntary military assignment, prior to completing a course or prior to completing two years of service will have to reimburse the City for education assistance/reimbursement payments received. • Costs of living expenses, books, equipment, materials, travel, parking, and non -required fees are not reimbursable. • For employees receiving tuition reimbursement from the Veterans Administration, scholarships, or any other source, education 4 assistance/ reimbursement applies only to the net cost to the individual after deducting the amount received from any other aid source. • Courses that provide the employee with job skills expected or required for their current job will not be paid for or reimbursed through this program. This includes job -required certificates. Refer to section 2.02 Salary Administration of this manual. • Conferences, seminars, annual meetings, certification exams, and certification courses not offered through an academic credit on a for - grade basis are excluded. Refer to section 8.02 Organizational Learning & Development of this manual. SCHEDULING Whenever possible, courses should be scheduled during non -working hours. OF CLASSES If a course is available only during regular working hours, the supervisor and manager of the employee are encouraged to allow flexible scheduling of work to allow completion of the employee's normally scheduled work hours per week. Final approval on flexible scheduling will be at the discretion of the department head. GED TESTING If an employee wishes to obtain a GED, the City will pay all fees associated with taking the GED exam. This will be limited to two series of tests per person. RELATED 8.02 Organizational Learning & Development POLICIES 2.02 Salary Administration EFFECTIVE August 2006 DATE II. A. All ordinances, parts of ordinances, or resolutions in conflict herewith are expressly repealed. B. The invalidity of any section or provision of this ordinance shall not invalidate other sections or provisions thereof. C. The City Council hereby finds and declares that written notice of the date, hour, place and subject of the meeting at which this Ordinance was adopted was posted and that such meeting was open to the public as required by law at all times during which 5 this Ordinance and the subject matter hereof were discussed, considered and formally acted upon, all as required by the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Texas Government Code, as amended. Alternative 1. By motion duly made, seconded and passed with an affirmative vote of all the Council members present, the requirement for reading this ordinance on two separate days was dispensed with. READ, PASSED, and ADOPTED on first reading this = day of , 2006. Alternative 2. READ and APPROVED on first reading this the day of , 2006. READ, APPROVED and ADOPTED on second reading this the day of , 2006. ATTEST: , Mayo y of Ro nd Rock, Texas CHRISTINE R. MARTINEZ, City Secret 6 y DATE: August 17, 2006 SUBJECT: City Council Meeting - August 24, 2006 ITEM: 13.A.1. Consider an ordinance amending Section 8.05 (Education Assistance/ Reimbursement Program) of the Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual. (First Reading) Department: Human Resources Staff Person: Kristie O'Hara, Human Resources Manager Justification: An inter -departmental task force was charged with recommending revisions to the current Education Assistance/Reimbursement program in an effort to increase the number of employees who are able to participate in the City's program. Funding:, Cost: Source of funds: N/A General Fund FY 2007 Budget Outside Resources: N/A Background Information: In Fiscal Year 2004-2005 and Fiscal Year 2005-2006, the Education Assistance/Reimbursement program has exhausted the allotted budget funds within 4-6 months of the budget. When the FY 05-06 budget was exhausted in March, a task force was created to review and revise the existing program in an effort to ensure the best value for the education assistance funds as well as to increase the number of employees participating in the program. The recommendations being proposed reflect the best practices of Cities surveyed and are the collective effort of the task force. A summary of the proposed recommendations is as follows: • Reduce the annual maximum reimbursement from $2500 to $2000. • Eligibility in the program will include only full-time, regular employees eliminating part-time employees' eligibility. • Eligible tuition and fee schedules will be based on and should not exceed Texas State University's in-state tuition and fee structure. • For employees attending class at any school except Texas State University and Austin Community College, reimbursement for the applicable tuition and fees will be based on the actual grade awarded. Public Comment: N/A