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Coffee County committee expands training repayment requirement to include resignations and terminations
Summary
The committee revised the county's separation policy so training costs paid by the county must be repaid if an employee separates (resignation or termination) before two years; members discussed prorating, collection options and costly training programs, and approved the change.
The Coffee County Legislative Committee on Nov. 10 voted to revise the county's separation policy so that reimbursement of training costs applies to any separation within two years, not only "voluntary" resignations. The committee said the change closes a loophole that could have allowed employees to avoid repayment by engineering a termination instead of resigning.
Under the prior policy, reimbursement applied only to voluntary departures. The proposed revision removes the word "voluntary" so the county may seek repayment for training costs when an employee leaves before two years of service, whether by resignation or termination. The presiding commissioner said Policy & Procedures drafted the change and explained the county currently prorates repayment; as an example given at the meeting, a $2,000 training expense owed after one year would be prorated to $1,000.
Committee members discussed collection methods if an employee refuses to repay, including withholding available final pay and pursuing civil recourse through the county attorney. One member noted many departments allow use of accrued leave to offset deductions. The discussion also acknowledged that some training can be costly, and members did not specify a single list of reimbursable courses in the meeting record.
Commissioner Brown moved the revision; a commissioner seconded and the committee approved the change by voice vote. The presiding commissioner said the change will move to the full commission for consideration.
