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Commission authorizes actuarial study of hazardous-duty retirement supplement under new state law
Summary
Robertson County Commissioners approved a resolution to pay for an actuarial study to estimate the cost of adopting the hazardous-duty supplemental benefit established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2024; sheriff described the health and career stresses on public-safety officers and noted the study fee of $400.
Robertson County commissioners voted March 24 to fund an actuarial study to determine the county cost of adopting a hazardous-duty supplemental retirement benefit recently enacted by the Tennessee Legislature.
The resolution (032425019) directs county staff to request an actuarial cost study from the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) to estimate the expense of providing the hazardous-duty supplement described in state law (Tennessee Code Annotated § 8-32-212) following the enactment of House Bill 2683 (2024). The sheriff told commissioners the county can purchase the study from TCRS for $400.
“[The supplement] recognizes inherent risk and responsibilities associated with public safety employees,” the sheriff told the commission during the discussion. He described national and state research on the toll of careers in law enforcement and then cited a study he said showed an average post-retirement mortality interval of roughly 6.77 years for law enforcement retirees in Tennessee. “This benefit in particular is significant for public safety officers who careers are often marked by physical and psychological demands that can accelerate their departure from active service compared to other public sector employees,” he said.
Commissioner Law introduced the resolution and Commissioner White seconded the motion to proceed with the cost study. Commissioners also moved to make the sheriff a member of the court so he could present details; that procedural motion passed. The minutes record the final tally on the actuarial-study resolution as 16–4–0 in favor.
The resolution authorizes only the study; county officials told the commission they must return for a separate resolution to adopt any changes to the county retirement plan based on the study's results. The sheriff said the legislature likely passed the state-level change to encourage counties and municipalities to evaluate local adoption without overwhelming TCRS with requests.
Next steps
Staff will request the actuarial estimate from TCRS at the $400 fee and return to the commission with the study and any recommended changes for formal consideration.
