City Council to Vote on Change to Tuition Reimbursement Ordinance

Mentor City Council will likely vote on an ordinance that caps how many college credits per year an employee can request tuition reimbursement for at its meeting 7 p.m. today.

The ordinance would also slightly change the circumstances under which an employee can receive tuition reimbursement.

An employee has always needed approval beforehand from the city's administration to take a class if he or she expects to receive partial or full reimbursement.

The employee would get 50 percent reimbursement if the class indirectly impacted their work at the city; 100 percent if it directly impacted it.

Before, the employee had to get at least a "C" in the class to be reimbursed. This ordinance would raise the bar to a "B."

Also, the ordinance would cap tuition reimbursement at the current cost per credit as is being charged by Cleveland State University.

Finally, the ordinance would add that any employee could only be reimbursed for 12 credits per year.

The Council is also scheduled to vote on several infrastructure improvements this evening, including:

• the resurfacing of Bellflower Road from Route 306 to Route 615. Council can approve a $659,000 project that will involve repairs to the streets' concrete and catch basin, as well as chip sealing and an asphalt pavement overlay.

About $300,000 of this project will be funded by a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission.

The project will be done from June to August 2012, as to avoid conflicts with and

• a new roof for and Jail. The roof replacement would cost $236,000, according to the ordinance.
• repaving parking lot, which is not to cost more than $55,000, according to the ordinance.
• storm sewer improvements for Stoneybrook Lane and Garfield Road, which would include new culverts under both streets. The project will cost about $301,000, according to the ordinance.

The agenda and legislation for the full meeting have been attached to this story as PDF files.