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Council approves town manager tuition reimbursement for doctoral coursework, 5–1 vote
Summary
Council approved tuition reimbursement for the town manager’s doctoral coursework consistent with in-state public-university tuition rates; council recorded a 5–1 roll call vote and the town manager said he would not authorize his own reimbursement.
Appomattox — The council approved a request to provide tuition reimbursement for doctoral-level coursework for the town manager, with funding built into the FY27 budget and a guideline to align reimbursement roughly with in-state public-university tuition.
The town manager declined to approve his own request and asked the council to decide. "I am not going to authorize myself tuition reimbursement. So I defer to council," he said. He listed programs he was considering — a Doctor of Public Administration at Liberty University, a Doctor of Executive Leadership at University of Lynchburg, and a Doctor of Public Policy at Liberty — and presented estimated program costs ranging generally between $32,000 and $46,000. The council noted per-credit estimates of roughly $600 to $900 for doctoral coursework.
Council approved the motion by roll call: Miss Spiegel — yes; Miss Alma — yes; Mr. Cardwell — yes; Mr. Boyce — yes; Mr. Hensley — yes; Mr. Garrett — no. Members discussed whether to include a retention clause; staff said the town’s policy would apply uniformly for eligible employees and that the FY27 budget includes funding to cover tuition reimbursement for staff generally.
