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Uintah County Commission adopts resolution adding wellness, longevity and achievement awards for elected officials
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Summary
On March 31, 2026, the Uintah County Commission in Vernal adopted resolution O3312026R1 to explicitly include longevity service awards, wellness incentives and achievement awards for elected officials, department heads and chief officers after a public hearing and staff clarification of policy details.
The Uintah County Commission voted March 31 to adopt resolution O3312026R1, formally adding service recognition awards — including longevity, wellness and achievement awards — to the county’s compensation framework for elected officials, department heads and chief officers.
County attorney Lauren Anderson told the commission the resolution ‘‘captures those things that we did not include’’ in a prior public hearing on merit wage increases and that state law requires a public hearing when any element of compensation for elected or senior officials can change. Anderson said the measure does not alter base salaries and ‘‘is not the same thing’’ as the merit increase heard Sept. 16, 2025.
Several residents spoke during the hearing. Retired taxpayer Don Hall said he was concerned calendar and access make it difficult for working residents to attend and asked commissioners to ‘‘listen to the people that are paying your wages.’’ A member of the public identified in the transcript as Dan (‘‘Dan, Dill Saver’’) asked whether awards are on a published schedule and how amounts are calculated; interim human resources director Jen Garcia pointed the public to county policy 3.10, which is posted on the county website and contains a chart describing the formula.
Garcia provided specifics on the awards: the longevity (service) award tiers are 5 years = 1.5%, 10 years = 2%, 15 years = 2.5% and subsequent five-year steps up to a 3% cap; the wellness incentive remains a flat $100 for participants who meet program requirements. She also said elected officials were added to eligible recipients in a 2024 revision of the policy.
Commission discussion was brief. A commissioner moved to approve the resolution ‘‘as presented’’ and the chair called the vote; multiple commissioners recorded ‘Aye’ and the resolution passed. The transcript records affirmative ‘‘Aye’’ votes but does not include a complete roll-call tally in the hearing record.
The resolution codifies awards the county has granted in practice and clarifies that service awards and wellness incentives are part of the compensation elements that must be publicly noticed and recorded.
The commission immediately moved on to separate business after the vote.
