At the previous City Council meeting on July 19th, approval was given by the Council for a pair of changes to the training reimbursement policy for CDL and Water Treatment Workers. When new workers are hired, training costs are incurred by the city and continue over time as new certifications are required.

A change made to both policies says that any employee who receives training and resigns from their position less than one year after receiving training must pay back 100% of the testing expenses and if the employee resigns after one year, but if it’s less than two years after receiving training, the cost is 50%. All reimbursement payments will be deducted from the employee’s last check unless other arrangements have been made.

Mayor Jaron Rosien says that this move was not made in reaction to ongoing resignations but rather as a way to provide the city with a bit of protection and that employees, after two years, won’t have to pay the cost if they move on. “After two years, the good faith is there, and we won’t ask them to pay it back. This policy isn’t a reaction to anything that is going on, but it’s just being proactive to prevent it from becoming a problem as the cost for training has gone up.”

Any questions about these new changes can be directed to the City Administrators’ office. The new policy can be found in the July 19th Council Packet online at the City of Washington’s Website.