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Council debates payment of director’s tuition reimbursement and whether policy should change
Summary
Councilors questioned a $6,300 tuition reimbursement request for a department director and reviewed the city’s longstanding tuition-assistance policy extended from a 2003 AFSCME contract. Council asked for the underlying contract and tabled the payment pending review.
Dearborn Heights City Council paused a $6,300 tuition reimbursement for a department director after several council members said they had not seen the relevant contract language and questioned the policy’s application to newer employees.
Councilman Robert Constant asked that the council table agenda item No. 33 pending verification of the agreement that allows nonunion department directors to receive tuition assistance. Council discussion referenced a 2003 collective-bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and a city policy dating back to at least 2005 that the mayor and department heads had used to authorize tuition reimbursement.
Councilman Roger (last name), reading from distributed documents, said the AFSCME contract and a 2001 mayoral letter had been used historically to extend tuition benefits to nonunion employees in director-level positions. “It is the management position at the time at the city of Dearborn Heights that employees who volunteer to improve their education lead to better trained and educated employees,” he said, quoting the policy language included in the meeting packet. The policy requires mayoral approval before registration and a grade threshold for reimbursement; it also states employees must still be employed with the city upon completion of approved coursework to be eligible for reimbursement.
Some council members said the policy is outdated and expressed concern about paying for coursework for employees who may leave soon after completing classes. Councilwoman Denise Malinowski Maxwell said job mobility today makes it less certain the city will realize the benefit of paid coursework. Other council members said the policy has been applied consistently and that changes should be made by council action if they want to alter the practice.
After discussion, councilmembers voted to table the payment and asked administration to supply the director’s contract and the signed approval documents that authorize the reimbursement. Officials said the mayor’s office had historically approved such reimbursements and that the mayor’s signature or electronic approval could be on file.
What happens next: Council asked staff to provide the written contract and the approval paperwork that authorized the tuition payment and to return with that documentation at the next meeting before the council will approve payment.
