HomeMy WebLinkAbout10887RDINANCE NO. 10887
AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO AND PROVIDING FOR AN
ENHANCED TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR CITY
EMPLOYEES
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PUEBLO, that:
SECTION 1.
Subject to available appropriation and funds, the Mayor is authorized to reimburse a City
Employee up to $2000 annually for tuition, fees and expenses related to successful completion
of an approved course or courses in educational or vocational training. The course training must
ned to improve competence in the job and be of
value to the City. Successful completion means that a grad
achieved to be eligible for reimbursement.
shall mean any Classified, Non-bargaining unit employee and any Unclassified employee other
than part-time seasonal employe
Bargaining unit employee, if and to the extent that the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for
such employee has executed an appropriate waiver or agreement approved by the City which is
consistent with and subject to the requirements and limitations of this Ordinance.
SECTION 2.
The decision to authorize or not authorize a reimbursement request shall be at the
discretion of the Mayor and shall not be subject to appeal or grievance under City ordinance
including but not limited to the grievance procedure set forth in Chapter 11 of Title VI of the City
Code.
SECTION 3.
As a condition precedent to approval of any application for or receipt of any
reimbursement authorized under this Ordinance, City Employee shall execute a Tuition
The Mayor is authorized to execute any such Agreement for and on behalf of the City, and the
City Clerk is authorized to affix the seal of the City thereto and attest same.
SECTION 4.
Any provision of any ordinance of the City in conflict with this Ordinance shall be
suspended and shall be superseded by this Ordinance during the period from the effective date
of this Ordinance through the date this Ordinance is repealed as provided in Section 6.
SECTION 5.
The officers and staff of the City are authorized to perform any and all acts consistent
with the intent of this Ordinance to effectuate the policies and procedures described herein. The
Mayor is expressly authorized to adopt policies and procedures appropriate to extending the
tuition reimbursement program contemplated by this Ordinance.
SECTION 6.
This Ordinance shall become effective on January 1, 2025, and shall be automatically
repealed on December 31, 2027.
Action by City Council:
Introduced and initial adoption of Ordinance by City Council on January 13, 2025.
Final adoption of Ordinance by City Council on January 27, 2025.
____________________________
President of City Council
Action by the Mayor:
Approved on _______________.
Disapproved on ______________ based on the following objections:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Mayor
Action by City Council After Disapproval by the Mayor:
Council did not act to override the Mayor's veto.
Ordinance re-adopted on a vote of ____________, on _____________
____________________________
President of City Council
ATTEST
________________________________
City Clerk
City Clerk's Office Item # R5
Background Paper for Proposed
Action Item
COUNCIL MEETING DATE: January 27, 2025
TO: President Mark Aliff and Members of City Council
CC: Mayor Heather Graham
VIA: Marisa Stoller, City Clerk
FROM: Brian McCain, Chief of Staff
Marisa Pacheco, Director of Human Resources
SUBJECT: AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO AND PROVIDING FOR AN
ENHANCED TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR CITY
EMPLOYEES
SUMMARY:
Mayor Graham requests approval to extend, on a temporary basis, the previously
approved Enhanced Tuition Reimbursement Program for City employees. The original
program began on January 1, 2022, and ended December 31, 2024.
This ordinance seeks to extend the existing program from January 1, 2025, through
December 31, 2027.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION:
Ordinance No. 10086 was approved by City Council on December 27, 2021, and
approved the implementation of the Enhanced Tuition Reimbursement Program.
BACKGROUND:
Prior to the approval of the current Enhanced Tuition Reimbursement Program, tuition
reimbursement was dictated by provisions contained in collective bargaining
agreements and in Pueblo Municipal Code:
Pueblo Municipal Code 6-8-7 Reimbursement of no more than 80% of tuition,
fees, and book costs for full-time employees upon successful completion of an
approved course or courses in education or vocational training.
International Association of Firefighters Local #3 - Reimbursement of no more
than 75% of tuition, fees, and book costs for full-time employees upon successful
completion of an approved course or courses in education or vocational training.
is two thousand ($2,000) per year per person.
International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local #537 Reimbursement of no
more than 75% of tuition, fees and books paid for by the employee.
Pueblo Association of Government Employees Reimbursement of no more
than 80% of tuition, fees, and book costs for full-time employees upon successful
completion of an approved course or courses in education or vocational training.
Must achieve a grade of C or better and the course must be related to improve
Courses
that are unrelated to th
reimbursement amount is 50% of the cost of tuition, fees, and books.
Prior to the implementation of the Enhanced Tuition Reimbursement Program,
reimbursement was not routinely available to employees because of a lack of available
funding. The collective bargaining agreement provisions for reimbursement are
dependent on the City having available funding to reimburse related expenses.
The City Council approved Enhanced Tuition Reimbursement Program began on
January 1, 2022, and ended December 31, 2024, and reimbursed up to 100% of tuition,
fees and books for approved, job-related education courses and vocational training up
to a maximum of two thousand ($2,000) dollars per person, per year during the
program. The c
to improve competence in the job and be of value to the City. The program expanded
eligibility to include Classified, non-bargaining unit employee but also Unclassified
employees to include part-time temporary employees.
Participating employees are required to execute an agreement in advance of receiving
the reimbursement to include a repayment provision if they leave employment for a
period following reimbursement under the program. Employees in six City departments
Recreation) have taken advantage of this program and feedback has been positive
about extending the program beyond the initial program period.
The City continues to strive to maintain status as an employer of choice to both attract
and retain highly qualified employees. In the current job market, this is more important
than ever as the talent pool is shrinking, and job opportunities are growing.
Tuition reimbursement programs reduce turnover costs. Employees who are offered
tuition reimbursement usually stay longer with employers and bring the benefit of new
skills to the workplace to directly impact operations. Continued learning also prepares
employees for promotional opportunities and therefore also enhances commitment to
the employer and a career in local government. The employees of the City are our
most valuable assets. A trained and educated workforce is important in meeting the
community.
It is for these reasons, that Mayor Graham is proposing to extend the Enhanced Tuition
Reimbursement Program on a temporary basis retroactive to January 1, 2025, through
December 31, 2027.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Funding for the program will come from funding at the department level. It is not known
how much the extended program will cost as program participation is not yet known
during the extension period.
For the initial program period the following expenditures were connected to the
program:
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
Not Applicable.
STAKEHOLDER PROCESS:
Leadership of the International Association of Firefighters Local #3, International
Brotherhood of Police Officers Local #537 and the Pueblo Association of Government
Employees were provided with a copy of the attached ordinance and a required waiver
to continue offering the program to their membership. Both the Police and Fire unions
have indicated they are supportive of the extension and if this ordinance passes will
execute the waiver.
The Pueblo Association of Government Employees has chosen not to participate in this
program moving forward and has declined to execute a waiver.
ALTERNATIVES:
The no action alternative would be to allow the Enhanced Tuition Reimbursement
Program to expire and instead continue reimbursement provisions within the collective
bargaining agreements and Pueblo Municipal Code which offer lesser benefit than the
Enhanced Tuition Reimbursement Program.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approval of the Ordinance.
ATTACHMENTS:
None