POLICY MANUAL
POLICY NUMBER:
CORPORATE-016
SUBJECT: EMPLOYEE COMPUTER PURCHASE PLAN
POLICY STATEMENT:
(Purpose/Objective)
To provide for an Employee Computer Purchase Plan to allow employees to purchase computers on an interest-free basis. The loans are to be paid back through payroll deduction.
RELATED POLICY PROCEDURES/GUIDELINES:
General Terms and Conditions
1. (a) The plan is open to all full time employees of the Corporation of the City of Brantford who have successfully completed their probationary period. (b) Regular part-time employees working an average of 28 hours or more per
week may participate in the plan upon the approval of their Commissioner. (c) Members of Council are eligible to participate.
2. All eligible participants will be able to participate in the plan once in each calendar year.
3. Financing will be provided by the Corporation of the City of Brantford on an interest-free basis. The minimum loan amount will be $300.00. The amount of any individual’s loan outstanding is not to exceed $5,000.00 at any one time.
The interest free loan is a taxable benefit to the employee.
4. The loans will be paid back through payroll deduction. The maximum loan payback period is 3 years. Shorter term lengths will be available at the discretion of the employee.
5. Each participating employee will sign a Promissory Note (sample attached) which will become due and payable upon the employee's termination of employment.
6. The employee will have the option to pay an initial down payment.
7. Minimum specifications for new system purchases and hardware/software upgrades are updated annually and approved at the discretion of the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department. The intent of the Plan is to make systems compatible with the work environment available for employees to use at home to upgrade their computer literacy. “MAC” products will not be approved unless they are required in your position. Gameware will not be approved.
8. Eligible vendors are defined as licenced computer hardware and/or software vendors only (licenced is possession of a Provincial Vendor's Permit).
Procedure
1. The employee will be supplied with documentation verifying the existence of the Employee Computer Purchase Plan, which can be shown to their vendor.
2. Employees will approach their selected eligible vendor, select items to be purchased and negotiate a purchase price, warranty agreement, etc, and complete the purchase. Equipment selections and payment and warranty arrangements are the sole responsibility of the employee. The Corporation of the City of Brantford accepts no liability with regard to vendor equipment selection..
3. Original invoices (not a quote) showing; Employee name and address
PST / GST amounts
Vendor’s GST # or Provincial Vendor Permit #
must be submitted to Human Resources who will assist employees with completing a promissory note. All documents will then be forwarded to ITS for approval with respect to the minimum specifications. No further adjustments will be allowed once the promissory note is signed and the invoice is submitted.
minimum specifications. The approved invoice, along with the promissory note and authorization for payroll deduction, will then be submitted to HR/Payroll for processing. If an invoice does not meet the criteria, Human Resources will advise the employee. Any appeals from the decision of the ITS representative will be to the requesting employee’s Commissioner.
5. Where the employee is a status Indian living on an Indian Reservation and produces a card demonstrating such status:
a) The invoice produced pursuant to section 3 need not show an amount in respect of GST or PST; and the eligible vendor from whom the employee makes his or her purchase need not necessarily be in possession of a Provincial Vendor’s permit if such vendor carries on business on an Indian Reservation and is a status Indian.
PROMISSORY NOTE
TO: THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF BRANTFORD
FROM:
______________________________________
For value received, the undersigned promises to pay to the Corporation of the City of Brantford (the “City”)
the sum of
_________________________________________________dollars ($_________) payable in ________installments of ______________________________ dollars ($_________) each, the first of such installments to be paid on _____________________
with further installments to be made thereafter through payroll deduction on each subsequent payday until the full amount has been paid. The undersigned consents to the collection of the said installments as a payroll deduction, however in the event that there is an interruption in earnings (without the undersigned leaving the employ of the City) the undersigned will make the installments through alternate means. In the event that the frequency of the payment of salary or wages alters during the repayment period, the number of installments shall be increased or reduced accordingly, and the amount payable in each installment shall then be adjusted as necessary so that the overall rate of payment remains constant.
In the event that the undersigned fails to make any payment on its due date or leaves the employ of the City prior to repayment in full, the entire balance of this note shall, at the option of the City, become immediately due and payable, and simple interest shall begin to accrue on the unpaid balance at the rate of 2% per month (24% per annum). In addition to any other rights of collection available to the City, the City is authorized to deduct all said amounts from the final pays of the undersigned, including but not limited to the following earnings – regular, vacation, overtime, sick bank and/or severance
termination payments. Dated at Brantford this ______ day of ________ _________________________________ _____________________ WITNESS EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The undersigned acknowledges that the City of Brantford’s Employee Computer Purchase Plan with the provision of interest free financing results in a taxable benefit and therefore authorizes the City to increase the amount of tax to be deducted from the undersigned’s salary/wages per pay period: (Please check one
of the following)
$1.00
$1.50
$2.00
No Extra Deduction Dated at Brantford this day of .
_____________________________ __________________________
WITNESS EMPLOYEE
CERTIFICATE AND AGREEMENT
(City Of Brantford Computer Purchase Plan)
In consideration of receiving a loan from The Corporation of the City of Brantford (“the City”) under its Employee Computer Purchase Plan, the undersigned hereby certifies and agrees as follows:
1. That all computer equipment and/or software being purchased through the said plan shall be primarily used for non-commercial purposes by the undersigned and his or her immediate family.
2. That the computer equipment and/or software purchased through the Plan is identical to the equipment and/or software for which an original invoice has been submitted to the Human Resources Department.
3. That if the computer equipment and/or software purchased through the Plan, is returned in part or in it's entirety to the Vendor from which it was purchased, within the Vendor's and/or manufacturer's warranty period, then the employee will notify
the Human Resources Department immediately and will repay the remaining balance of the loan in full.
4. If there is a permanent change in the use of the computer equipment and/or software during the repayment period of the loan, so that the use of the computer equipment and/or software no longer complies with paragraph 1, the undersigned will notify the Human Resources Department and will repay the remaining balance of the loan if requested to do so by the Human Resources Department.
5. None of the foregoing shall restrict the undersigned from disposing or changing the use of the computer equipment and/or software at any time after the loan has been fully repaid by the undersigned.
Dated at Brantford this day of ________________________________________. Signed, Sealed and
Delivered in the presence of:
____________________________________________________________________
WITNESS EMPLOYEE
Date of Enactment: Related By-law Number/Staff Report Number: Review and Amendment Dates:
March 2009 (review)
Department Responsible for Review: Human Resources
SMT Date of Next Review:
2013
Applicable Legislation/Legislative Authority:
