The Dearborn Heights City Council on Wednesday agreed to remove two tuition-reimbursement claims from the current claims list after a lengthy discussion about who is eligible for the city's tuition program, what the policy allows and where the money would come from.

Library Director Michael McCaffrey spoke in favor of one claim, saying the employee, Saba Al Hashami, "meets all the requirements for the tuition program" and that her coursework is directly related to library science and state aid requirements. McCaffrey described her as a 10-year employee and said the training will enable the library to offer new programs.

Several council members asked for clearer documentation about each request and where the funds would be drawn from. Director McCaffrey and administrative staff said the tuition reimbursements are paid from the fringe-benefits line for elected officials and directors and that some reimbursement programs are covered by union or director-level agreements. HR also told the council it had shared union contract language and recommended paying benefits already in process while revising policy going forward; the administration advised that changing benefits for covered employees could require contract negotiations.

After debate, Councilman Hassan Saab moved — and a council colleague seconded — to remove claims 36 and 37 from the list of current claims to be paid at this meeting. The motion passed; the clerk recorded that the motion "carries." Council members asked administration for a packet that shows when employees started, dates of coursework, and confirmation of the funding line for each claim. Several members said they want a clearer tuition-reimbursement policy returned to council for review.

HR and the administration told council that for some employee groups, tuition reimbursement is governed by existing agreements and that denying benefits for work already in progress could violate those agreements. Administration recommended paying benefits already committed for the current semester and negotiating any policy changes for future terms.

The immediate procedural outcome was removal of items 36 and 37 from the claims list pending follow-up documentation and possible policy changes.