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Mounds View City Council March 24, 2025 <br /> Regular Meeting Page 2 <br /> 1 E. Resolution 10078,Authorization to Pay in Advance Complete SHILLS Tuition <br /> 2 for CSO Asa Overton, which is Outside the Police Department Tuition <br /> 3 Reimbursement Policy. <br /> 4 <br /> 5 Council Member Smith stated she spoke with the Police Chief regarding questions she had on this <br /> 6 item. She indicated City Code states the City offers up to $5,000 in tuition with 50% paid at the <br /> 7 beginning and 50%paid at the end. She noted this request was asking for a pay in advance for the <br /> 8 SKILLS Tuition. She indicated the SKILLS tuition was very expensive and questioned if there <br /> 9 was any guarantee that CSO Overton would become a member of the Mounds View Police <br /> 10 Department. City Administrator Zikmund stated there was no guarantee this would occur. <br /> 11 <br /> 12 Council Member Smith reported tuition reimbursement was available to full and part time officers. <br /> 13 She questioned if City Code had to be rewritten in order to make this funding available to CSO's. <br /> 14 She expressed concern with the fact the City was proposing to send a CSO to SKILLS with no <br /> 15 guarantee that this individual would return to the department. City Administrator Zikmund <br /> 16 indicated the City did a similar thing for a Public Works employee and reported State law prohibits <br /> 17 the City from putting any contractual requirements in place. He explained this was an individual <br /> 18 of high integrity, but if he chooses to go somewhere else, he chooses to go somewhere else. <br /> 19 <br /> 20 Police Chief Zender reported he has been working with CSO Overton for two years and explained <br /> 21 he has made it abundantly clear that the City was looking for a return on the investment, if the City <br /> 22 were to assist with paying for SKILLS tuition. He reported if CSO Overton were to decide that <br /> 23 Mounds View was not for him,he believed CSO Overton would let him know. He did not believe <br /> 24 CSO Overton would take the City's money and run. He understood there were no guarantees, but <br /> 25 he believed CSO Overton was a man of integrity. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 Mayor Lindstrom asked if this would be the first CSO that would be moving into a police officer <br /> 28 position. Police Chief Zender reported this was the case and stated that was why he was trying to <br /> 29 work with CSO Overton on this transition. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 City Administrator Zikmund indicated there was no perfect solution for hiring new candidates and <br /> 32 stated the department was short officers at this time. He stated this was a measured risk and there <br /> 33 was no perfect solution. <br /> 34 <br /> 35 Council Member Gunn stated she appreciated how much CSO Overton likes working for Mounds <br /> 36 View and noted the encouragement he receives from Police Chief Zender means a lot. She believed <br /> 37 that if CSO Overton did not like this City he would have left by now. Police Officer Zender <br /> 38 explained the intent of the CSO program was to encourage officers to begin working for the <br /> 39 department while attending school and then once their schooling was completed, to work either <br /> 40 for the Mounds View Police Department or to be hired elsewhere. He stated he fully understood <br /> 41 there was no guarantee, but he believed it was a risk worth taking. <br /> 42 <br /> 43 Council Member Meehlhause explained Police Chief Zender would not be proposing to invest in <br /> 44 CSO Overton if he did not have a high opinion of this individual. Police Chief Zender reported <br /> 45 this was the case. <br /> 46 <br />