Hollister
– The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to
authorize annual expenses of up to $1,000 per supervisor on
training and education programs.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to authorize annual expenses of up to $1,000 per supervisor on training and education programs.
In the past, county employees have been reimbursed for up to $750 a year for career-related training, but there has been no similar allowance for the board.
“To my knowledge, this (reimbursement) has never happened in the past,” De La Cruz said. “The board felt it was in the community’s best interest.”
This decision could lead to a maximum cost of $5,000 for the county, money that was not included in the budget for fiscal year 2006-2007. If actual expenditures are high enough, the board will consider a mid-year budget adjustment.
The board also approved paying $950 in tuition for Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz to attend the Leadership San Benito Class of 2007.
De La Cruz said he made the proposal after being accepted into the leadership class and speaking to County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson about the possibility of reimbursement.
“I brought this up now (rather than waiting for the next budget) for two reasons,” he said. “One, because this was a new idea coming forward. Two, the leadership program started this month, and you know, I’ve just gotta pay the bills.”
De La Cruz abstained from the vote on his tuition reimbursement, which the other supervisors approved 4-0. He described the leadership class as “a great opportunity,” and said it will commence with a two-day orientation, followed by monthly meetings for a year, during which members will discuss community leadership skills and problem solving. De La Cruz added that if the funding had not been approved, he would have paid the tuition himself.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho agreed that the reimbursement program was a good idea, both for supervisors and the public at large.
“Supervisors have to have a background in public safety, planning and so on,” he said. “Classes or seminars give us a better perspective as far as doing the right thing.”
Botelho said he isn’t currently planning to take any courses, but noted that when he was on the county’s planning commission, he paid out-of-pocket to take planning classes at University of California, Davis.
The tuition reimbursement will come out of the county’s general fund, but is separate from the already-existing budget item for board travel, which is $9,000 for fiscal year 2006-2007. The total budget for the Board of Supervisors is around $400,000.
Anthony Ha covers city and county government for the Free Lance. Contact him at 637-5566.
