Page | 71 reduction in force. In determining severance pay, the City will consider such factors as the employee’s length of notice, length of tenure and performance history. CREDIT UNION 714 City employees may become members of the Hutchinson Government Employees Credit Union. Employees wishing to become members of this credit union should contact the Human Resources Department for more information. Payroll deductions to the credit union are made available to all employees who wish to authorize such deductions to be withheld from their payroll checks on a regular basis. EDUCATIONAL REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM 715 In accordance with Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC 127), the City of Hutchinson offers an educational reimbursement program for those employees that wish to voluntarily pursue educational advancement. This program is outlined below but is contingent upon the annual appropriation of funds and is subject to change at any time. The Human Resources Department will coordinate the program’s budget allocation request process. Basic Eligibility & Application Requirements – All regular full-time employees who have successfully completed their Trial Period are eligible to apply for this benefit. To receive consideration, the employee is required to thoroughly complete an Application for Educational Reimbursement form and submit it to his/her department head for review and comment. The application form includes: A. Institution & Coursework Information – Institution’s name; degree program (if applicable); coursework description (syllabus); and tuition expense information (cost per credit hour, etc.). B. Statement – Employee’s written statement as to how this degree program and/or coursework pertain to the employee’s current position or to a position they wish to obtain within the City of Hutchinson’s employment structure. C. Repayment Authorization Agreement – See Service Requirements/Obligations below If approved by the department head, the employee’s application will be forwarded to Human Resources for final review. Human Resources may request additional information from an employee to properly approve or deny an employee’s request for reimbursement. Employees are expected to respond in a timely manner to such requests. All decisions regarding the administration of the program including, but not limited to, eligibility, level of reimbursement, etc. will be final. Curriculum/Coursework Requirements – This program is restricted to those degree programs or other individual college/university/vocational coursework that have been determined to be of mutual benefit to the employee and the City. This program does not cover professional licensing or professional development related seminars. Any course, training, licensing or certification that is required by the City will be covered by professional development funds within each department. Courses taken under the educational assistance program will be taken at the employee’s initiative, and the employee assumes responsibility for course selection, scheduling, and other matters that are traditionally the responsibility of the student. The City of Hutchinson generally approves courses taken at an accredited college, university or other institution recognized by the North Central Association Commission on Schools (NCA). Other non-NCA institutions will be reviewed on a caseby-case basis. Reimbursement Benefits and Exclusions – A maximum of $1,500.00 may be reimbursed to an employee per calendar year. Additionally, the amount of per credit hour reimbursement shall not exceed those rates for in-state tuition at Kansas public universities and junior colleges.
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